Overland   for   Gold 


By 
F.  H.  GHELEY 


THE  ABINGDON   PRESS 
NEW  YORK  CINCINNATI 


fu 


To 

JACK 
BORN  IN  THE  SHADOW  OF  PIKE'S  PEAK 


MI8929 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    "PIKE'S  PEAK  OR  BUST!" 9 

II.    WE  ARE  TAKEN  INTO  THE  COMPANY 18 

III.  A  PLOT  IN  THE  NIGHT 31 

IV.  A  MIDNIGHT  KIDNAPING 43 

V.    SURROUNDED  BY  WOLVES 56 

VI.    OUR  FIRST  SIGHT  OF  INDIANS 68 

VII.  AVERTING  A  MUTINY 77 

VIII.  BUFFALO  BY  THE  MILLION 89 

IX.  INDIANS! 104 

X.  GOLD  FOR  THE  DIGGING! 1 19 

XI.  A  MOUNTAIN  TRAGEDY 131 

XII.  INTO  THE  GOLD  COUNTRY  AT  LAST 146 

XIII.  STAKING  THE  POT-HOLES 159 

XIV.  THE  COMING  OF  THE  LAW 170 

XV.    THE  VIGILANTES 183 

XVI.    OUR  GOLDEN  DREAMS  BEGIN  TO  FADE 193 

XVII.    PROSPECTING  THE  CONTINENTAL  DIVIDE 206 

XVIII.    A  MYSTERIOUS  ATTACK 217 

XIX.    FATE  SETTLES  A  SCORE 227 

XX.    A  CHANCE  MEETING  IN  THE  NIGHT 241 

XXI.    JOE  WATSON'S  BLAST 254 

XXII.    GOLD  AT  LAST — AND  HOME! 263 


CHAPTER  I  •V-l.vfi:  •  :••• 
"PIKE'S  PEAK  OR  BUST!" 

"PIKE'S  PEAK  or  bust!"  laughed  my 
JT  uncle  Herman  Trout,  merrily,  as  he 
opened  the  door,  and  then,  noting  our  sur 
prised  faces,  he  added,  more  seriously,  "Yes, 
I'm  off  for  Colorado  at  last."  He  poised  his 
great  bulk  in  the  doorway,  his  merry  eyes 
fairly  sparkling  with  unconcealed  excite 
ment,  awaiting  my  mother's  comment  on  his 
decision. 

"Tilly,"  he  said  at  length,  seeing  that 
mother  had  no  reply,  "I  have  the  old  fever 
again,  and  I've  finally  decided  to  go.  The 
boys  tell  me  they  are  actually  getting  the 
yellow  stuff  out  in  chunks  in  the  hills  north 
of  Pike's  Peak,  and  I  have  decided  to  get  in 
on  the  ground  floor." 

My  mother  slowly  rose  from  her  chair  and 
looked  at  my  uncle  a  bit  reproachfully,  al 
though  she  had  often  predicted  that  he 
would  have  the  gold  fever  before  fall  if  the 
newspapers  kept  on,  while  he  had  as  often 

9 


io         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

scouted  the.  idea,  declaring  that  he  was  far 

f  >too  old  a:  flairs  to  turn  adventurer  again.  One 

t.  gpo4.Jbok.  in  to*  his  face  now,  however,  con- 

•  vmeed:  her  ;fnat*  her  surmise  had  been  right 

from  the  start;  yet  she  was  sorry,  for  she 

had  so  hoped  he  would  not  go. 

''But,  Herman,"  she  said,  half  wistfully, 
as  she  crossed  over  and  put  her  hands  on  the 
back  of  my  chair,  "how  ever  am  I  to  get  on 
without  you,  with  these  two  big  growing 
boys  needing  your  counsel  and  help  every 
day?" 

Hale,  who  sat  at  the  table  studying,  raised 
his  head  quickly  and  ventured  a  suggestion. 
'Then  let  us  go  with  you,  Uncle  Herman  I" 
He  suddenly  brushed  aside  the  books  he  had 
been  studying  and  rose,  looking  straight  into 
my  uncle's  face.  "In  two  more  weeks  my  last 
examination  will  be  over,  and  then  I  must 
hunt  a  job.  Getting  gold  in  chunks,  you 
say?  I  wouldn't  need  very  many  'chunks' 
to  enable  me  to  go  on  to  college  in  the  fall, 
would  I?  Besides,  Uncle  Herman,  such  a 
trip  with  you  would  be  a  worthwhile  experi 
ence  for  any  boy." 

As  the  lad  talked  on  he  became  possessed 
with  his  idea  and  grew  very  serious.  He 


"PIKE'S  PEAK  OR  BUST !"        1 1 

was  a  splendid  specimen  of  real  American 
boyhood  as  he  stood  there  watching  intently 
every  expression  on  his  uncle's  face.  His 
body  was  trim,  well  knit  and  muscular,  and 
as  erect  as  a  soldier's.  He  was  strong,  clean- 
cut,  and  just  as  hard  as  nails,  for  Hale  Trout 
was  an  athlete  of  no  mean  reputation  in  our 
little  city,  and  incidentally  was  the  very  idol 
of  uncle  Herman's  heart. 

"I've  been  wondering  for  a  whole  month 
just  where  I  was  to  get  a  job,  for  work  is  so 
very  scarce  and  money  so  awfully  tight. 
You  know,  uncle,  I  have  decided  definitely 
now  to  fit  myself  for  an  engineer,  and  such 
a  trip  as  you  propose  would  be  great  normal 
practice  for  me.  I  have  no  doubt  but  that 
there  will  be  trails  and  bridges  to  build  and 
all  sorts  of  mine  machinery  to  erect,  will 
there  not?" 

Herman  Trout  eyed  the  boy  critically  for 
a  moment  before  he  spoke.  He  seemed  to 
be  mentally  calculating  whether  the  lad 
would  be  equal  to  all  the  strenuous  work  that 
such  a  journey  would  necessarily  involve  or 
not.  Hale  interrupted  his  thought  by  hurry 
ing  on : 

"How  will  you  get  there,  uncle?    It  must 


12         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

be  at  least  a  thousand  miles,  and  nothing  but 
pony  express  running  to  Denver." 

"I  plan  to  go  by  ox-train  from  Saint  Joe, 
my  lad,  and  I  plan  to  take  with  me  enough 
simple  mining  machinery  to  do  the  job  right. 
You  see,  my  three  years  in  the  California 
diggings  taught  me  a  great  deal.  I  would 
not  be  a  'greenhorn'  or  'tenderfoot'  this  time, 
which,  of  course,  counts  for  something. 
This  Colorado  discovery  seems  to  be  largely 
lode  claims  with  very  little  placer  gold,  and 
such  mining,  to  be  profitable  in  a  big  way, 
would  require  our  operating  at  least  a  small 
stamp  mill." 

Just  what  prompted  me  to  speak  up  at  this 
point  I  do  not  now  remember,  but  at  any 
rate,  boylike,  I  blurted  out  on  the  inspiration 
of  the  moment : 

"Just  such  a  trip  as  that  would  make  me 
strong  again  too,  uncle,  for  after  all,  what 
I  need  is  not  all  of  this  medicine  and  tender 
care,  but  more  exercise  and  fresh  air  and 
sunshine.  Besides,  you  will  certainly  have  to 
have  a  bookkeeper  and  secretary  of  some 
sort,  if  you  are  going  into  it  that  big,  won't 
you?" 

"I  believe  you  are  right,  son,"  he  an- 


"PIKE'S  PEAK  OR  BUST !"        13 

swered  kindly,  and  then  after  a  moment's 
deep  thought  he  turned  abruptly  to  my 
mother,  who  was  still  standing  behind  my 
chair. 

"Tilly,  such  an  arrangement  would  be 
your  opportunity  to  visit  the  little  daughter 
in  the  country,  and  I  verily  believe  that  the 
change  would  do  us  all  good,  even  this  puny 
boy.  It  had  never  entered  my  head  to  take 
these  lads  along  until  they  spoke,  but  the 
idea  strikes  me  very  favorably.  I'll  need 
lots  of  help,  that  is  quite  certain,  and  it " 

"Hurrah  for  you,  uncle !"  shouted  Hale  in 
a  very  fever  of  new  excitement.  "I'll  gladly 
be  your  stable  boy,  or  anything  else  that  you 
desire,  if  you  will  but  let  me  go." 

I  noted  that  mother  had  become  a  bit  un 
easy,  and  a  moment  later  she  turned  abruptly 
away  toward  the  kitchen,  saying  she  would 
prepare  tea.  My  uncle  also  noted  her 
anxiety  over  the  new  development,  and  so 
hastily  excused  himself  too,  with  the  promise 
that  he  would  discuss  the  matter  more  fully 
with  us  after  supper.  Hale  hurried  to  the 
kitchen  to  talk  the  matter  over  with  mother, 
and  I  buried  myself  in  the  evening  paper. 

"Fabulous    Discoveries   of   Gold   in   the 


I4         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

Rockies!"  ran  the  big  head  lines,  and  then 
followed  story  after  story  written  in  such  a 
stirring  way  that  in  half  an  hour  I  found 
myself  on  fire  with  a  real  gold  fever.  I  was 
wild  to  get  at  once  to  this  wonderful  West- 
land,  where  mere  men  dug  enormous  for 
tunes  in  a  fortnight. 

The  sentiment  of  "O  Susanna"  that  had 
permeated  every  village  and  hamlet  only 
twelve  short  years  before,  when  every  man 
that  could  possibly  finance  the  trip,  had 
joined  in  that  wild  march  across  twenty-five 
hundred  miles  of  Western,  Indian-infested 
prairies  in  search  of  California  gold,  now 
suddenly  changed  to  the  equally  exciting  cry 
of  "Pike's  Peak  or  bust !"  Once  more,  even 
in  the  face  of  all  the  harrowing  tales  of  suf 
fering,  starvation,  and  death  that  had  fol 
lowed  in  the  wake  of  that  other  tremendous 
current  of  gold-seekers — once  more  the  mys 
terious  word  "gold"  seemed  to  hypnotize  the 
people  and  make  them  forget  the  army  of 
shadowy  ghosts  that  even  yet  line  every 
Overland  trail  from  Independence  to  the 
Golden  Gate.  It  was  but  three  years  since 
the  terrible  panic  of  1857,  and  money  was 
scarce.  There  was  little  or  no  business  ac- 


"PIKE'S  PEAK  OR  BUST !"        15 

tivity,  and  on  the  whole  the  future  business 
outlook  was  discouraging.  It  was  not  sur 
prising,  then,  that  this  new  and  wonderful 
discovery  of  gold  should  cause  such  a  tre 
mendous  sensation  throughout  the  land. 

I  had  eagerly  read  every  paper,  including 
the  editorials,  and  when  I  came  upon  the  list 
of  names  of  local  men  who  were  preparing 
to  start  at  once  for  the  gold  fields,  I  was  not 
surprised  to  see  my  uncle's  name  heading 
the  list.  Then  I  realized  for  a  very  certainty 
that  he  was  going.  As  I  fell  to  thinking  it 
all  over,  however,  I  realized  that  it  probably 
never  would  have  happened  in  the  world  if 
my  uncle  had  not  once  before  been  afflicted 
with  the  "gold  fever/'  I  say  "afflicted" 
advisedly,  because  with  that  independent, 
self-reliant,  square- jawed  individual  to  be 
really  interested  in  or  enthusiastic  about 
anything  was  to  make  that  thing  his  very 
life,  at  least  for  the  time  being.  If  he  really 
started,  it  would  be  "Pike's  Peak  or  bust!" 
I  was  certain.  He  had  joined  that  "surge 
of  fools  to  California,"  as  he  often  referred 
to  the  party  of  young  business  men  like  him 
self  who  hardly  a  dozen  years  before  had 
formed  a  company,  pooled  their  every  re- 


16         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

source,  and  then  cast  their  hope  on  the 
hazard  of  a  single  die  at  Sutter's  Ford. 

Many  a  long  winter  evening,  before  my 
father's  death,  we  had  all  sat  about  our  cozy 
fireplace  and  listened  with  mouths  agog  to 
the  wonderful  yarns  of  his  two  years  among 
the  "California  diggin's":  how  they  had 
chartered  an  old  schooner  and  set  out  un 
daunted,  in  the  true  spirit  of  youth,  on  a  ten- 
thousand-mile  voyage  around  the  Horn; 
how  he  had  been  left  almost  a  penniless  man, 
and  then,  after  two  memorable  years,  that 
were  fairly  crammed  with  wild  adventures 
in  the  mountains,  and  hair-breadth  escapes 
from  starvation,  Indians,  and  the  ravages 
of  disease,  he  had  "struck  it  rich"  in  a  rea 
sonable  way,  and  had  returned  via  Panama 
to  our  little  quiet  village,  a  hero  to  every 
boy  in  the  town,  and  especially  to  my  younger 
brother  Hale  and  myself. 

This  same  uncle  Herman  had  since  my 
earliest  recollections  been  very  fond  of  my 
mother  and  of  Hale.  Of  course  he  had 
always  been  friendly  to  me  too,  as  his  only 
brother's  eldest  son,  but  was  never  enthu 
siastic  about  my  puny  body  or  my  love  for 
books,  of  which  he  knew  almost  nothing.  So 


"PIKE'S  PEAK  OR  BUST !"        17 

it  always  had  seemed  perfectly  natural  to 
me,  after  the  death  of  my  father,  that  he 
should  come  to  live  with  us.  Of  his  own 
accord  he  chose  to  settle  my  father's  many 
debts,  and  took  upon  himself  the  no  small 
task  of  being  a  father  to  us  two  boys.  He 
never  told  me  so  for  a  certainty,  but  mother 
and  I  were  both  of  the  opinion  that  between 
my  father's  debts  and  the  hard  years  of  the 
panic  which  followed,  my  uncle's  fortune  had 
shrunk  to  a  very  modest  sum.  As  I  look 
back  over  it  all  now  I  ami  certain  that  it  was 
this  shortage  of  money,  after  all,  that  de 
cided  him  to  again  "play  his  hand,"  as  he 
used  to  say,  "with  old  Mother  Nature"  in 
the  gold  fields. 


CHAPTER    II 

WE  ARE  TAKEN  INTO  THE 
COMPANY 

THAT  evening  my  uncle  brought  a  Mr. 
Cyrus  Toleman  home  to  tea  with  him, 
and  such  a  talker  as  the  man  was !  He  was 
tall  and  handsome,  and  had  a  careless  way 
of  chuckling  every  now  and  then  when  some 
thing  was  said  that  especially  pleased  him. 
He  hadn't  been  with  us  many  minutes  until 
we  discovered  that,  beyond  a  question,  he 
was  a  thoroughbred  cowboy  and  trailer  from 
the  big  Western  cattle  range.  I  guessed 
that  he  was  an  expert  at  all  sorts  of  out 
fitting  and  that  in  all  probability  my  uncle 
had  it  in  mind  to  take  Toleman  along  with 
him  to  have  charge  of  the  ox-train  and  to 
find  the  trail ;  for  up  to  this  time  all  Western 
roads  were  mere  trails  and  oftentimes  a 
heavy  rain  would  completely  obliterate  them 
for  miles  at  a  stretch.  He  told  us  that  many 
of  the  old  routes  used  by  the  forty-niners 
had  already  become  overgrown  with  the 
herbage  of  the  plain,  and  some  had  even 
18 


INTO  THE  COMPANY  19 

faded  back  into  the  desert  completely,  so  that 
it  took  an  experienced  trailer  to  find  the  way. 

I  remember  that  he  and  my  uncle  talked 
for  an  hour  about  wagons  and  oxen  and 
supplies,  apparently  forgetting  Hale  and  me, 
until  suddenly  the  bell  rang,  and  my  uncle 
ushered  in  a  dried-up,  weasened  little  man, 
whom  he  introduced  to  us  as  Jacob  Hender 
son.  I  at  once  recognized  him  as  the  pro 
prietor  of  a  little  handy-man's  shop  on  one 
of  our  side  streets,  and  I  had  often  heard 
him  referred  to  as  the  "jail  bird." 

He  was  a  mechanic,  a  pattern  maker,  a 
filer  of  keys,  and,  in  fact,  a  Jack-of -all-trades. 
His  eyes  were  small  and  cold-gray.  He  was 
very  small  of  stature,  and  a  smile  rarely,  if 
ever,  crossed  his  deep-lined,  bronzed  face. 
He  was  entirely  business,  apparently,  and 
had  no  time  nor  relish  for  pleasantries.  It 
surprised  me  a  great  deal  that  my  uncle 
should  even  think  of  taking  this  sour,  un 
agreeable  man  with  him  on  such  a  journey 
as  he  was  now  proposing,  for  if  there  was 
one  thing  my  uncle  enjoyed,  more  than  one 
of  my  mother's  good  meals,  it  was  an  hour 
of  fellowship  with  a  kindred  spirit  and  a 
few  good  stories  for  seasoning.  I  could  not 


20         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

imagine  his  living  as  intimately  as  a  thou 
sand-mile  trip  with  heavily  loaded  ox-drawn 
carts  would  necessitate,  with  a  confirmed 
pessimist  that  reduced  every  transaction  of 
life  down  to  a  dollars-and-cents  basis  and 
held  every  fellow  man  forever  in  suspicion. 
Some  way,  it  was  like  trying  to  mix  oil  and 
water,  and  I  was  at  a  loss  to  understand  it. 

As  their  conversation  ran  on,  however, 
on  stamp  mills,  windlasses,  and  power 
cradles,  I  began  to  understand  that  such  an 
enterprise  as  my  uncle  was  suggesting 
simply  must  have  at  least  one  mechanic  to 
set  up  the  machinery.  I  also  came  to  realize 
that  a  dozen  or  fifteen  heavily  loaded  wagons 
could  not  possibly  be  pulled  over  a  thousand 
miles  of  sun-baked,  prairie-dog  pitted  West 
ern  prairie  land  and  then  on  perhaps  into 
the  very  heart  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  with 
out  constant  repairs  and  mechanical  atten 
tion.  My  uncle  could  manage  a  pick  and 
shovel  with  marvelous  ease  and  effective 
ness,  but  when  it  came  to  replacing  a  wagon 
reach,  resetting  a  wagon  tire,  or  erecting  a 
stamp  mill,  with  its  maze  of  sluices,  screens, 
and  rollers,  he  was  a  wise  enough  man  to 
know  that  he  must  have  a  machinist.  He 


INTO  THE  COMPANY  21 

confided  to  me  many  a  night,  however,  as 
we  lay  rolled  in  our  blankets  beneath  one  of 
our  wagons,  or  as  we  rode  on  that  long, 
tedious  march  over  alkaline  flats,  that  he 
would  give  a  good  gold  mine  if  Jake  Hen 
derson  was  in  the  bottom  of  the  sea  or  far 
up  in  Alaska,  instead  of  with  our  party. 

It  took  them  nearly  two  hours  to  complete 
a  rough  list  of  the  outfit.  It  included  a 
twelve-stamp  mill,  with  necessary  boiler, 
engine,  and  repairs,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
many  smaller  tools  understood  to  be  neces 
sary  for  the  extracting  of  gold  from  the 
rock.  Then  there  was  a  supply  of  powder, 
a  quantity  of  quicksilver,  copper  plates  for 
the  sluices,  various  chemicals,  and  an  enor 
mous  list  of  provisions — enough,  in  fact,  to 
keep  the  entire  company  at  least  a  year.  Yet 
how  in  the  world  they  ever  expected  to  get 
any  variety  of  food  out  of  plain  flour,  beans, 
salt  pork,  coffee,  sugar,  and  corn  meal  was 
more  than  I  could  see.;  but  when  Toleman 
urged  that  they  add  a  few  delicacies,  such 
as  tea,  dried  fruit,  bacon,  hardtack,  and 
syrup,  I  began  to  have  some  hopes  of  fair 
food,  and  felt  that  I  understood  Toleman 
better  already. 


22         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

When  the  list  was  finally  completed  and 
the  cost  estimated,  my  uncle  suddenly  turned 
to  Toleman  and  said : 

"Cy,  I  am  thinking  strongly  of  taking 
these  two  boys  with  me."  Then,  with  a 
good-humored  twinkle,  he  added,  "Of  course 
we  perfectly  understand  they  won't  amount 
to  much  as  prospectors,  but  we  have  to  have 
drivers,  you  know,  and  doubtless  they  will 
do  to  skin  mules,  if  we  have  any;  at  least 
they  can  drive  oxen.  Then,  too,  they  will 
help  to  keep  me  from  being  too  lonesome, 
for  I  can't  say  I  just  relish  the  idea  of  living 
a  hundred  long  days  with  just  Missourian 
teamsters  and  a  cowboy."  He  eyed  Jake 
from  the  corner  of  his  eye,  and  seeing  the 
sour  look  of  disapproval,  he  added:  "Then, 
too,  Jake  here  is  so  profoundly  talkative,  and 
so  humorous,  I'll  need  some  one  to  talk  busi 
ness  with  at  times,  I  suppose,  as  a  relief  from 
his  foolishness." 

Cy  Toleman  just  roared,  and  I  knew  full 
well  from  that  moment  that  he  and  I  were 
to  be  the  best  of  friends;  but  Jake  only 
glowered  at  us  with  such  evident  displeasure 
that  I  disliked  him  without  knowing  just 
why. 


INTO  THE  COMPANY  23 

'Take  'em  along  by  all  odds,"  laughed  Cy, 
good  naturedly.  "That  chap  yonder,"  point 
ing  to  Hale,  "looks  perfectly  able  to  look  out 
for  himself.  I've  been  noticing  his  arms  and 
shoulders — Jerusalem!  but  I'd  about  as 
leave  be  caressed  by  a  Missouri  mule  as  hit 
on  the  jib  with  one  of  those."  Then  turning 
on  Jake,  who  sat  with  a  disdainful,  sour  look 
on  his  leathery  face,  he  added:  "Herman, 
that  boy  will  make  a  good  overseer  for  Jake 
when  he  gets  too  blamed  obstreperous  with 
them  funny  sayings  of  his."  Then  he 
laughed  again  in  such  a  hearty  way  that  my 
mother  came  hurrying  in  to  see  what  was 
going  on  that  could  be  so  funny,  for  some 
way  she  was  already  feeling  sad. 

"Well,  Tilly,"  said  my  uncle,  "we  have 
about  finished  our  plans,  and  I  have  decided, 
if  you  are  willing,  of  course,  to  take  the  boys 
with  us,  and  furthermore  to  take  them  into 
the  company " 

Jake  Henderson  jumped  to  his  feet  in  a 
fit  of  anger,  resembling  an  irate  bantam 
rooster  about  to  challenge  the  world.  "Into 
the  company!"  he  roared.  "Well,  I  should 
say  not.  You  said  but  a  moment  ago  to  take 
them  as  driver§.  Now,  I  don't  propose  to 


24         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

put  any  of  my  money  into  a  company,  of 
boys.  What's  more,  Trout,  I  won't.  I've 
subscribed  half  of  the  total  expense  of  this 
trip,  and  you  the  other  half.  We  may  hire 
other  men  and  boys  at  a  stipulated  wage,  but 
take  them  into  the  company?  No!  What 
do  a  bunch  of  schoolboys  know  about  gold 
mining,  anyway?"  he  demanded. 

I  saw  Toleman  sit  up,  stare  at  the  bantam 
to  make  sure  he  wasn't  dreaming  things, 
and  then  chuckle  to  himself  again.  My 
mother,  hot  with  indignation,  turned  to  my 
uncle  and  was  about  to  speak,  when  he  fore 
stalled  her.  I  was  fairly  startled  by  his 
changed  manner.  His  voice  was  cold  and 
stern,  and  his  eyes  flashed.  I  had  never 
before  seen  him  so  angry. 

"No,  Jake,  you  are  mistaken/'  he  said, 
slowly.  "You  won't  subscribe  half,  or  any 
part  of  this  expense.  I've  changed  my  mind 
about  this  company  since  I  last  talked  with 
you,  and  I  have  decided  to  give  these  two 
boys  your  share.  Toleman  and  I  will  own 
the  balance..  But  we'll  be  glad  to  hire  you 
as  our  master  mechanic  at  say " 

Jake  was  beside  himself  with  rage.  "Hire 
me!  By  the  everlasting  gods,  no!"  he 


INTO  THE  COMPANY  25 

snapped.  "I'm  no  hireling.  Yesterday  this 
was  to  be  our  company,  and  now " 

"That  was  my  first  thought,"  interrupted 
my  uncle,  "but  the  idea  of  taking  these  chaps 
along  with  me  hadn't  entered  my  head  then  ; 
and,  besides,  we  reached  no  agreement.  I 
have  decided  that  these  two  boys  will  be  of 
more  use  to  the  company  in  the  long  run 
than  you,  Jake."  He  looked  the  little  man 
straight  in  the  eye  as  he  continued,  "Besides, 
I  have  never  caught  either  of  them  in  a  lie, 
and  I  have  no  time  on  this  trip  to  nurse  hot- 
tempered  fools." 

Jake  was  too  surprised  and  too  disap 
pointed  to  say  more  just  then,  but  his  angry 
red  face  bespoke  his  emotions.  He  glowered 
at  Hale  and  me  with  a  hate  that  knew  no 
bounds.  I  believe  it  was  this  churlish  atti 
tude  that  finally  decided  my  uncle  against 
him. 

But,  Herman,"  roared  the  little  man,  "I 
have  already  turned  down  two  other  offers 
to  go,  in  favor  of  this  one,  and  now  it  is  too 
late  to  get  in  on  any,"  insisted  Jake,  "and 
what  is  more,  Mr.  Trout,  it's  a  dirty  rotten 
deal!" 

"That's  all  a  lie,"  cried  my  uncle,  "and 


26         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

only  makes  a  bad  matter  worse.  You  have 
had  no  proposition  from  any  one,  not  even 
myself  definitely;  and  what  is  more  to  the 
point,  I  doubt  if  you  will  get  one.  I  just 
learned  this  evening  at  the  courthouse,  Jake, 
that  you  were  borrowing  your  money  on  a 
half  interest  in  your  share  of  the  gold,  and 
you  told  me  positively  that  you  had  the 
money  in  the  bank.  Now,  I  cannot  afford 
to  have  a  scalawag  in  with  me  on  this  deal, 
for  I'm  playing  my  last  card.  You  have  told 
me  three  untruths  to-day.  I  can't  trust  you." 

"Then  you  won't  even  give  me  a  quarter 
share?"  begged  Jake,  earnestly,  for  he  was 
fast  seeing  his  get-rich-quick  scheme  slip 
out  of  his  hands. 

"None/'  said  my  uncle,  quite  positively. 
"I  am  arranging  for  these  boys  to  have  your 
share  between  them.  I  am  certain  I  can 
depend  upon  them." 

Jake  Henderson  rose,  took  his  hat  and 
stalked  to  the  door,  then  suddenly  flaming 
into  a  new  rage  at  the  very  thought  of  how 
he  had  been  caught,  he  shook  his  fist  at  Hale 
and  declared:  "You  boys  will  never  see 
Colorado  if  I  can  help  it." 

My  uncle  sprang  to  the  door  in  one  leap, 


INTO  THE  COMPANY  27 

his  great  fists  clenched.  But  Jake  was  gone, 
and  we  saw  no  more  of  him  until  we  reached 
Saint  Joe  two  weeks  later. 

As  my  uncle  came  back  from  the  door,  my 
mother  hurried  to  him,  a  strange,  frightened 
look  on  her  face. 

"O  Herman,"  she  cried,  "what  a  miser 
able  man!  Do  you  suppose  he  will  really 
set  out  to  cause  you  trouble  as  he  threatened 
to  do?" 

"O  bah!"  exclaimed  my  uncle,  in  deep 
disgust.  "A  man  that  lies  is  a  coward  too, 
usually.  He  hasn't  nerve  enough  to  fight  a 
pussy  cat.  We  will  probably  never  see  him 
again.  He's  gone,  and  I'm  glad.  Now, 
mother,  what  about  these  boys — what  do 
you  say  ?  What  do  you  think  of  taking  them 
into  the  company?  I  had  intended  to  give 
Jake  a  share  for  his  services,  instead  of 
money,  but  now  I  am  convinced  he  is  a 
shyster.  I  was  just  testing  him  out  to-night 
a  bit.  Of  course  I  would  never  think  of 
starting  on  such  an  undertaking  as  we  have 
been  here  proposing  with  anything  save  a 
perfectly  congenial  company. 

"Toleman,  what  do  you  think  of  the  new 
plan?  I  want  you  to  be  perfectly  frank 


28         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

about  it,  for  now  is  the  time  to  say  just  what 
you  think.  I  will  respect  you  the  more 
for  it." 

"I  vote  Yes,  unanimously,"  laughed  Tole- 
man.  "Me  and  the  boys  will  get  on 
famously.  And  I'm  so  blamed  glad  we  got 
rid  of  that  little  skunk  without  havin'  to  bury 
our  duds.  Jerusalem!  but  he  was  mad. 
Your  talking  to  him  was  just  like  taking  a 
miserable  sinner  up  to  the  pearly  gates  and 
discoverin'  who  you  had  and  dropping  him 
again.  He  sure  was  one  surprised  and  dis 
appointed  man,  but,  mark  my  words,  gents, 
we  haven't  seen  the  last  of  him.  He'll  get 
to  Colorado  if  he  has  to  go  via  Greenland 
and  walk  every  inch  of  the  way.  But  he'll 
be  there,  mark  me  that;  and  don't  forget 
he'll  be  out  for  our  scalps.  I  only  hope  I  see 
him  first.  I'll  teach  him  a  few  little  lessons." 

Uncle  Herman  laughed,  but  it  was  a 
forced,  dry  laugh.  He  turned  again  un 
easily  to  my  mother,  for  he  feared  the  little 
episode  might  have  caused  her  to  change  her 
mind  about  our  going.  Fortunately,  she  had 
the  utmost  confidence  in  my  uncle,  and  I 
was  not  at  all  surprised  when  she  said,  in 
her  firm  gentle  way: 


INTO  THE  COMPANY  29 

"Herman,  I  think  you  know  what  is  best, 
and  although  it  will  be  very  lonely  to  have 
you  all  gone,  if  you  think  it  wise  for  the  boys 
to  go,  I'll  not  say  no.  I  fully  realize  that 
they  are  both  young  men  now,  and  that 
sooner  or  later  they  must  begin  life  for  them 
selves.  Nothing  could  give  me  more  joy, 
Herman,  than  to  know  they  were  getting 
their  first  hard  knocks  under  your  super 


vision." 


My  uncle  smiled,  and  was  himself  again. 
He  tapped  the  table  with  his  finger  restlessly, 
as  he  mentally  went  over  the  whole  matter 
for  the  last  time,  and  then,  as  if  to  make 
his  decision  final,  he  said : 

"Boys,  from  to-night  we  are  partners,  for 
better  or  for  worse.  Toleman,  you  and  I 
will  have  equal  shares;  and  if  we  get  rich, 
you  can  pay  me  back  my  original  investment. 
We  will  start  in  two  weeks.  I'll  begin  to 
have  the  machinery  shipped  by  rail  to  Saint 
Joe  at  once.  We  will  buy  our  oxen  there, 
I  think,  and  we  will  send  you  on  to  pick  them 
out  and  find  drivers  for  our  wagons.  You 
are  an  old  stock  man,  and  will  do  better  at 
the  buying  than  I." 

"Then  it's  Tike's  Peak  or  bust/  lads," 


30         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

cried  Toleman,  shaking  us  each  by  the  hand. 
"Jerusalem!  but  we'll  make  them  herds  of 
buffalo  hustle  when  we  hit  the  valley  of  the 
Platte.  It  will  seem  great  to  be  on  the  old 
Oregon  Trail  again,  to  hear  the  shout  of 
teamsters  and  the  yell  of  savages.  Yes,  it's 
a  region  of  Indians  and  wild  beasts,  of 
scorching  deserts,  shifting  sands,  whirlwinds 
of  powdered  dust  and  acres  of  cactus  and 
prairie  dogs;  but  it's  God's  country  all  the 
same,  and  I'll  be  glad  to  be  back  to  it.  Good 
night,  all !"  and  he  was  gone. 

We  sat  a  little  while,  thinking  in  silence, 
and  then  went  to  bed  to  dream  of  the  path 
less  deserts,  illimitable  prairies,  nameless 
rivers,  and  colossal  mountains  he  had  told 
us  of  until  sleep  came. 


CHAPTER  III 
A  PLOT  IN  THE  NIGHT 

THE  next  two  weeks  passed  very  quickly 
for  Hale  and  me.  Every  day  we  were 
busy  with  final  arrangements,  such  as  the 
shipping  of  supplies  to  Saint  Joe,  buying  ma 
chinery,  and  getting  my  mother  off  to  the 
country  to  visit  my  sister.  We  suddenly 
found  ourselves  very  popular,  not  to  say 
envied,  by  our  host  of  boy  friends,  for  we 
were  actually  going  to  Colorado,  and  were 
to  be  part  and  parcel  of  a  real  ox-train.  I 
well  remember  just  how  thoroughly  inter 
ested  we  were  in  buying  our  guns  and  hunt 
ing  knives.  Each  of  us  had  a  splendid  new 
rifle  of  latest  design — a  gift  from  Toleman 
— a  pair  of  thirty-eight  pistols,  and  a  heavy 
pocketknife.  Each  one  of  us  packed  his  few 
simple  bits  of  personal  clothing  in  a  stout 
canvas  bag,  with  our  names  lettered  boldly 
upon  them,  while  our  blankets,  each  num 
bered  to  match  our  respective  wagons,  were 
folded  and  packed  on  the  wagon  seat. 

31 


32         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

Toleman  had  already  gone  ahead  to  hire 
the  dozen  or  more  drivers,  that  would  be 
necessary,  and  was  fortunate  in  securing, 
for  the  most  part,  farmers  from  the  Missouri 
hills  who  were  willing  to  give  their  services 
in  turn  for  the  opportunity  of  the  trip  to  the 
West.  With  the  help  of  these  men,  the 
heavy  machinery  and  provisions  had  all  been 
loaded  on  our  new  wagons  under  Toleman's 
direction,  so  that  all  was  about  in  readiness 
for  our  start  immediately  upon  our  reaching 
Saint  Joe.  As  we  hurried  through  the  main 
streets  of  the  little  Missouri  town,  already 
rapidly  filled  up  with  all  sorts  and  descrip 
tions  of  gold-crazed  men  belonging  to  the 
wagon-trains  en  route  to  the  gold  country, 
I  noted  that  my  uncle  Herman  attracted  a 
great  deal  of  attention.  Perhaps  it  was  be 
cause  of  his  tremendous  body,  that  was  ever 
as  erect  as  a  soldier's.  But  more  likely  it 
was  because  it  had  gotten  noised  about  that 
he  was  the  master  of  the  largest  and  most 
extensively  equipped  wagon-train  that  had 
yet  put  in  its  appearance  preparatory  to 
starting  West.  Keen  merchants  sought  to 
sell  him  goods;  many  masters  of  smaller 
trains  sought  his  advice  about  this  or  that 


A  PLOT  IN  THE  NIGHT         33 

detail;  while  scores  of  eager  adventurers, 
posing  as  miners,  mechanics  and  cooks, 
pressed  him  from  all  sides  for  employment 
in  one  capacity  or  another. 

That  evening  he  called  a  meeting,  at  our 
camp,  of  every  man  that  was  to  be  a  part 
of  our  train,  including  Toleman,  Hale,  and 
myself,  and  talked  to  us  a  long  time  about 
the  necessity  of  close  cooperation,  and  about 
the  importance  of  each  man  doing  his  own 
work  as  well  as  tending  strictly  to  his  own 
business.  The  little  camp,  the  big  circle  of 
newly  painted  wagons,  the  forty  head  of 
oxen,  the  herd  of  cows  and  ponies,  and  last 
of  all  the  friendly  circle  of  stalwart,  bronzed 
men,  made  a  tremendous  impression  upon  us 
boys.  I  can  see  my  uncle  yet,  as  he  stood  by 
the  blazing  fire,  his  broad-brimmed  hat  set 
well  back  on  his  head,  his  high-topped  boots, 
flannel  shirt  and  bandana  handkerchief,  all 
looking  just  as  I  had  seen  him  after  his  re 
turn  from  California  twelve  years  before. 
He  addressed  us  from  the  fire : 

"Men,  there  are  just  three  things  that  I 
want  to  say  to  you.  Remember  them  care 
fully.  They  are,  keep  sweet,  do  your  part 
no  matter  what  the  other  fellow  does,  and 


34         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

be  loyal.  We  will  have  many  a  long,  weary 
day  before  we  even  reach  the  Rockies.  There 
will  be  many  lonesome  hours,  when  every 
man  of  you  will  wish  himself  back  home 
again,  snug  and  well  fed  in  your  own  cabin. 
The  desert  sun  will  burn  and  blister  you 
until  the  very  sands  will  seem  to  be  on  fire. 
We  will  have  wild,  stormy  nights,  when  we 
will  be  compelled  to  go  to  bed  wet  and  hun 
gry,  with  no  sound  in  our  ears  save  the  yelp 
of  hungry  wolves  and  the  bellowing  of  buf 
falo  bulls.  We  will  have  days  and  days,  I 
have  no  doubt,  when  our  tongues  will  swell 
and  our  mouths  smart  for  want  of  fresh 
water.  We  will  have  breakdowns,  long, 
lonely  night  vigils,  treacherous  bands  of 
Indians,  bandits  and  cattle  thieves,  until 
every  man  with  a  soul  will  be  tried  as  never 
before. 

"You  see,  I  have  been  through  one  such 
wild  rush  as  this  is  to  be,  and  I  know  just 
what  men  suffer.  There  will  be  no  place 
for  a  weakling,  or  a  coward,  or  an  old 
woman.  I  want  you  to  withdraw  now,  be 
fore  we  have  gotten  under  way,  if  any  of  you 
do  not  fully  intend  to  see  the  whole  show 
through.  Is  there  a  man  that  wants  to  with- 


A  PLOT  IN  THE  NIGHT         35 
draw?    If  so,  it  will  be  entirely  satisfactory 


to  me." 


He  waited  a  full  moment  before  continu 
ing,  but  there  was  no  move  on  the  part  of 
a  single  man.  He  had  captured  them,  every 
one,  by  his  own  big  self. 

"Pike's  Peak  or  bust!"  cried  a  jolly,  fat 
driver,  who  had  watched  my  uncle's  every 
move,  listening  intently  to  every  word,  his 
face  shining  with  admiration.  "I'm  with 
you,  Cap,  to  the  bloody  end,  unless  my  in 
fernal  bread-box  plays  out  on  me.  I  can 
handle  anything  ordinarily,  but  stewed 
prairie  dog  or  skunk  sausage  won't  go." 

"Well,  then,"  continued  my  uncle,  with  a 
hearty  laugh,  "this  will  be  our  plan.  I  am 
captain  of  this  little  army  When  in  doubt 
as  to  your  duty,  come  to  me.  Toleman  and 
Hale  are  to  be  our  official  trailers  and  will 
supervise  the  packing,  the  choosing  of  camp 
sites,  and  have  the  overseeing  of  our  oxen. 
They  will  do  the  scouting  in  times  of  danger, 
and  because  Toleman  is  a  crack-shot  and  will 
be  well  mounted,  he  will  supply  us  with  fresh 
meat  whenever  it  is  possible.  Bill  Sikes  is 
going  to  act  as  our  official  cook,  and  I  warn 
you  now,  men,  don't  make  any  slighting 


36         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

remarks  about  Bill's  flapjacks  or  his  biscuits, 
for  I  understand  Bill  is  very  handy  with  his 
fists.  I've  followed  Toleman's  advice  in 
choosing  a  medicine  chest.  It  consists  en 
tirely  of  a  gallon  of  castor  oil,  and  it  is  to  be 
free  to  all.  We'll  let  every  man  be  his  own 
doctor.  Clayton  here,"  referring  to  me,  "is 
to  be  my  private  secretary,  and  will  have  no 
other  duties  to  perform  except  keep  our 
daily  record  and  to  look  after  the  commis 
sary,  until  he  feels  stronger. 

"Every  driver  will  feed,  water,  and  har 
ness  his  own  teams  of  oxen,  and  I  will  divide 
you  into  squads  of  four  each,  to  care  for  the 
cattle  and  do  the  extra  camp  duty.  We  will 
excuse  Bill,  of  course,  from  any  responsi 
bility  of  feeding  or  harnessing  as  long  as 
his  chuck  does  not  kill  any  of  us.  If  it  does, 
Bill  Sikes,  we'll  shoot  you  at  sunrise.  Of 
course,  if  it  does  come  to  a  showdown,  I  can 
do  the  cooking  myself,  for  I  know  how  to 
boil  eggs ;  and  as  long  as  we  have  eggs  I'll 
get  on  some  way.  Years  ago,  while  in  Cali 
fornia,  I  knew  how  to  bake  'choke-dog,'  but 
a  man  that's  panning  gravel  in  a  river-bed 
sixteen  hours  a  day  would  have  no  trouble 
in  digesting  most  anything.  It  will  be  dif- 


A  PLOT  IN  THE  NIGHT         37 

ferent  with  you  men  perched  on  a  wagon 
seat  all  day. 

"Now,  men,  good  night.  I  must  go  back 
to  the  city  on  a  little  business  trip,  but  re 
member  we  start  at  daylight — for  the  richest 
gold  country  in  the  world !" 

It  was  but  a  short  way  to  the  busy  little 
city,  so  we  decided  to  walk.  Everywhere 
were  teams  of  oxen  and  loaded  wagons,  and 
the  narrow  sidewalks  were  fairly  alive  with 
hurrying,  excited  men.  As  we  pushed  up 
the  street,  whom  should  we  see  coming  down 
just  ahead  of  us  but  Jake  Henderson,  in 
company  with  a  burly  Irishman  that  Tole- 
man  told  us  he  had  hired  as  a  driver,  but 
later,  because  of  some  heated  altercation, 
growing  out  of  the  loading  of  the  engine,  he 
had  been  compelled  to  pay  the  Hibernian  off 
and  let  him  go.  Both  men  were  now 
thoroughly  drunk,  and  were  singing  loudly 
some  rough  mining  ditties  as  they  jostled  the 
crowd.  Uncle  Herman  quickly  drew  us  into 
an  open  doorway  until  they  should  pass.  He 
did  not  want  the  scalawags  to  know  that  we 
had  seen  them,  for  he  was  sure  that  both 
men  were  headed  straight  for  our  camp. 
Uncle  Herman  quickly  drew  Toleman  to  one 


38         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

side  and  held  a  conversation  with  him,  with 
the  result  that  Cy  soon  left  us,  for  just  what 
destination  we  did  not  then  know. 

"I'm  glad  we  are  getting  away  from  here 
at  daylight,"  said  my  uncle,  after  we  had 
completed  our  little  business.  "I  would  cer 
tainly  hate  to  get  into  a  squabble  with  Jake 
Henderson  now.  He  and  that  big  Irishman, 
when  drunk,  make  a  bad  combination,  and 
if  they  haven't  already  planned  some  trouble 
for  us,  no  doubt  they  will.  I  hope  we  can 
leave  them  behind." 

An  hour  later,  as  we  approached  our 
camp,  Cy  suddenly  appeared  from  out  of  the 
darkness,  and  in  an  instant  we  realized  that 
something  had  gone  wrong 

"Jerusalem!  but  that  was  luck,"  he 
breathed.  "I  caught  the  scamp  right  in  the 
very  act.  The  yellow  hound!  My  fingers 
just  itched  to  dust  the  landscape  with  his 
skinny  carcass.  'But/  says  I,  'Cy,  keep  your 
shirt  on  a  bit  yet,  and  don't  go  and  spill  the 
beans  too  soon,  till  you're  a  bit  wise  of  his 
intentions/  When  I  arrived  in  camp,  he 
and  that  big  Irishman  had  all  the  drivers 
together,  and  was  giving  them  a  great  lingo 
of  how  you  were  intendin'  to  take  every 


A  PLOT  IN  THE  NIGHT         39 

advantage  of  them  all  the  way  out,  just  as 
you  had  taken  advantage  of  Jake  already, 
and  strongly  advised  them  to  strike  before 
starting,  unless  you  would  pay  them  each  a 
hundred  dollars  cash  bonus  before  they 
moved  and  a  like  sum  upon  arriving  at  the 
diggings. 

''  'Incitin'  a  rebellion,  are  you?'  says  I  to 
myself.  'Well,  go  to  it,  Jake,  and  luck!' 
'cause  I  figured  that  if  a  skinny  little  drunk 
good-for-nothing  like  him  could  stampede 
our  drivers  this  early  in  the  game,  we  had 
better  have  the  celebration  while  we  were  still 
in  Missouri,  where  we  could  get  more  men. 
Well,  after  he  had  yapped  just  about  so 
long,  the  big  Irishman  suggested  that  they 
capture  the  train  by  force ;  make  him  captain 
in  your  place,  rope  us  all  securely  in  one  of 
the  wagons,  and  go  on  to  the  West  on  their 
own  hook.  Finally  big  Bill  Sikes  took  the 
floor,  and  such  a  waterspout  of  sarcastic 
language  I  never  heard  before.  There  never 
has  been  no  sech  an  accurate  word  descrip 
tion  of  a  man  made  before  nor  since,  as  Bill 
made  of  old  Jake  Henderson.  I  just  lay 
back  in  the  grass  and  rolled,  I  was  that 
tickled.  Says  I  to  myself,  'Billy,  if  you  can 


40         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

flip  flapjacks  as  expertly  as  you  can  flip 
beautiful,  becoming  adjectives,  then  we'll  be 
in  clover  so  far  as  the  eating  goes/  Gentle 
men,  it  was  like  a  waterfall  in  flood  season, 
and  when  he  finished  there  just  naturally 
wasn't  anything  left  to  say  that  was  appro 
priate,  for  Bill  had  used  up  the  hull  blamed 
dictionary. 

"Jake  sort  of  looked  bewildered,  like  as 
if  some  one  had  suddenly  turned  a  hose  of 
cold  water  on  him.  I  thought  it  was  all  over, 
when  Jake  flamed  forth  and  completely  lost 
his  head.  He  had  the  nerve  to  threaten  that 
whole  herd  of  Missouri  'mules'  with  all  sorts 
of  threats,  of  everything  from  shooting  'em 
from  ambush  to  poisoning  their  spring 
water.  Finally  the  two  left,  as  I  supposed, 
but  as  I  was  walking  down  the  row  of 
wagons,  well  back  in  the  dark,  of  course,  just 
enjoying  my  thoughts,  I  suddenly  heard  a 
whispered  conversation  going  on  over  near 
the  powder  wagon.  I  tell  you,  right  there 
I  smelled  trouble.  So,  laying  down  in  the 
tall  grass,  I  rolled  over  and  over  until  I  was 
near  enough  to  hear  what  was  going  on. 
There  stood  Jake  and  his  Irish  friend,  and 
Keats,  the  driver  of  Wagon  Six,  in  whose 


A  PLOT  IN  THE  NIGHT         41 

charge  we  had  put  the  powder  for  safe  keep 
ing. 

"  Til  give  you  fifty  dollars  in  cold  cash, 
and  a  job  as  boss  driver  in  my  own  train/ 
I  heard  Jake  say,  coolly. 

"I  waited  breathlessly,  my  eye  on  the 
three,  for  evidently  the  Missourian  was  seri 
ously  considering  the  matter. 

"Til  do  the  job  for  a  hundred/  finally 
drawled  Keats.  'When  does  this  here 
wagon-train  of  your'n  start  for  out  yonder  ?' 

"  In  just  ten  days/  said  Jake,  glibly. 
'And  mine  is  going  to  be  the  first  real  train 
to  leave  Saint  Joe,  and  what's  more,  the  first 
one  to  arrive  at  the  diggins.  Of  course  the 
first  one  in  gets  pick  of  claims,  and  that's  me. 
But  a  hundred  is  too  much.  Why,  I  can  hire 
a  gang  of  darkies  in  Saint  Joe  to  eat  Trout's 
whole  train  alive  for  less  than  that.  All  I 
want  is  for  you  to  back  your  powder  wagon 
up  against  the  stamp  mill  and  touch  her  off. 
Before  he  can  get  another  mill  here  and 
loaded  I'll  be  on  my  way,  see?  He  doesn't 
know  I'm  here  yet,  and  I  don't  want  him  to, 
either.' 

"I  chuckled  to  myself  right  there,  and  I 
says,  sort  of  under  my  breath,  'Jake,  they 


42         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

wouldn't  own  you  in  Hades,  for  you're  too 
blamed  mean  to  burn!'  Well,  the  bargain 
was  finally  made  for  seventy-five  dollars 
gold,  and  Jake  and  his  friend  started  back 
toward  town,  well  pleased  with  their  dirty 
work,  agreeing  to  return  before  daylight 
with  the  money. 

"First  I  was  for  bumping  into  Jake  at  once 
and  settling  matters  permanent  like.  Then 
I  changed  my  mind,  'cause  I  couldn't  handle 
both  him  and  the  Irishman  if  there  was  to 
be  any  real  gun  play.  I  have  a  much  better 
idea.  But  let's  go  and  sit  down  a  bit,  where 
I  can  talk.  Some  one  is  liable  to  see  us  here, 
if  we  aren't  careful,  and  spill  the  beans 
altogether." 


CHAPTER  IV 
A  MIDNIGHT  KIDNAPING 

WE  were  all  very  eager,  of  course,  to 
hear  just  what  Cy's  scheme  was,  so 
after  going  well  back  into  the  meadow,  to 
a  clump  of  trees,  we  seated  ourselves  and 
urged  him  to  go  on.  I  could  see  that  my 
uncle  was  very  angry,  and  just  a  bit  im 
patient  that  Cy  should  have  let  Jake  get 
away.  But  Cy  gave  him  no  chance  to  say 
a  word. 

"Jerusalem !  but  it  will  be  fun,  and  it  won't 
do  any  one  any  harm,  that  is,  permanently, 
and  it  will  teach  a  few  folks  how  to  behave. 
Now,  here  is  my  little  scheme.  We  will  all 
go  to  camp  together,  just  as  if  nothing  had 
happened,  and  will  prepare  for  night.  The 
wagons  with  the  stamp  mill  on  them,  and 
the  powder  wagon,  are  standing  close  to 
each  other  in  the  road.  We'll  hitch  onto 
them  and  pull  them  back  out  of  the  way, 
explaining  that  the  road  hadn't  ought  to  be 
blocked  up  that  way  all  night. 
43 


44         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

"Then  Hale,  here,  and  I  will  take  Sikes — 
you  let  him  have  your  mule — and  we'll  go 
into  town  and  kidnap  Jake.  He  is  probably 
drinking  again,  to  celebrate  his  success,  and 
will  be  easy  to  find.  We'll  bring  him  back 
here  to  camp,  and  smuggle  him  into  that 
powder  wagon  without  any  one  knowing  he 
is  here,  and  the  Irishman  won't  be  under 
taking  anything  without  him.  Then  we'll 
invite  Keats  out  into  the  dark  to  talk  over 
some  matters,  gag  him  and  put  him  in 
Sikes's  wagon  till  morning.  We  will  tell 
Jake  that  he  bargained  for  the  little  explo 
sion,  and  that  if  she's  going  up,  he  ought 
to  be  on  the  band  wagon.  You  see,  Jake 
won't  know  that  Keats  is  tied  up,  and  seeing 
the  powder  wagon  backed  up  against  the 
mill,  he'll  think  Keats  has  everything  ready. 
We  will  mask  ourselves  so  as  to  pass  off  as 
the  teamsters,  and  we'll  have  Sikes  do  the 
talking,  for  he  can  do  it  so  beautiful,  and 
Jake  knows  Bill  was  against  him.  It  will 
be  sort  of  exciting  and  pleasant-like  to  sleep 
on  a  powder  keg  for  which  you  have  agreed 
to  pay  nearly  a  hundred  in  hard  cash  to  have 
exploded  before  sunrise. 

"We  will  take  Jake  on  with  us  about  three 


A  MIDNIGHT  KIDNAPING      45 

days'  march,  and  then  turn  him  loose  to  walk 
home.  It  will  be  a  lesson  to  the  rest,  and 
show  Jake  once  for  all  that  he  had  best  tend 
to  his  own  knitting.  What  do  you  say?  No 
telling  what  Jake  will  do  if  we  leave  him 
running  around  here  loose.  While  I'm  in 
Saint  Joe,  I'll  hire  another  teamster  to  be 
here  at  sunrise,  so  we'll  be  all  safe  if  we 
should  have  to  fire  Keats  too." 

My  uncle  readily  agreed  to  the  plan,  and 
in  thirty  minutes  the  three  men  were  on  their 
way  back  to  the  little  city.  It  pleased  Hale 
greatly  to  be  a  partner  with  Toleman  in  this 
first  adventure,  as  it  proved  to  be  only  the 
beginning  of  a  long  and  varied  string  of 
adventures  that  they  were  to  have  together 
before  we  reached  Denver.  I  stayed  awake 
just  as  long  as  I  could,  awaiting  their  return, 
but  finally  fell  asleep,  for  the  day  had  been 
a  very  strenuous  one,  and  I  knew  full  well 
that  the  morrow  would  be  much  more  so. 
Hale  greeted  me  in  the  morning  with  a 
knowing  wink,  and  whispered  to  me : 

"O !  Clayt,  it  was  fun !  He  was  drunk  as 
a  lord  and  talked  something  awful.  Beat 
any  show  I  ever  saw  in  my  life,  and  it  was 
all  done  as  neat  as  a  pin.  Cy  is  a  perfect 


46         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

wonder,  and  his  muscles  are  like  steel.  Jake 
is  over  yonder  now,  making  all  sorts  of 
promises  and  begging  for  freedom.  He  is 
as  tame  as  a  kitten,  and  will  eat  out  of  your 
hand." 

It  was  the  first  of  August,  and  our  whole 
camp  was  in  a  bustle.  Some  men  were  busy 
yoking  oxen  and  hitching  them  to  the 
wagons  with  great  difficulty,  for  many  of  the 
animals,  while  big  and  strong,  were  young 
and  not  yet  thoroughly  broken.  It  was 
hours  and  hours  before  our  train  was  finally 
in  motion  and  headed  for  Pike's  Peak.  Tole- 
man,  followed  closely  by  Hale,  was  here, 
there,  and  everywhere  from  one  end  of  the 
long  train  to  the  other,  on  his  pony,  while 
my  uncle,  who  had  already  been  dubbed 
"Cap"  after  his  little  talk  at  the  fire,  rode 
alongside  on  his  stout  saddle  mule,  encour 
aging  here  and  giving  advice  there,  as  the 
occasion  demanded  it. 

Our  first  five  miles  lay  out  through  an 
open  level  valley,  and  everything  went  fine. 
But  when  we  reached  the  bluffs  and  ravines 
to  the  west,  the  young,  unbroken  oxen  began 
to  balk,  and  finally  absolutely  refused  to  pull 
their  loads  up  the  hill.  Consequently,  the 


A  MIDNIGHT  KIDNAPING      47 

better  teams  rapidly  went  ahead  and  by  noon 
were  out  of  sight,  while  the  less  fortunate 
ones,  at  Toleman's  suggestion,  had  to  double 
up,  taking  first  one  wagon  up  a  hill  and  then 
another,  which  was,  of  course,  very  slow 
work,  and  discouraging  to  the  drivers.  Hale 
was  kept  busy  with  the  poorly  broken  oxen 
on  the  off  side,  while  the  drivers  whipped 
and  stormed  at  those  on  the  other  side. 
Slowly  but  surely  the  wagons  became  sepa 
rated,  until  long  before  dark  of  our  first  day 
we  were  actually  strung  out  over  fully  five 
miles  of  prairie. 

In  the  early  afternoon  Toleman  chose  a 
camp  spot  on  a  small  stream  of  clear  water 
that  wandered  in  and  out  through  a  bit  of 
meadow,  and  ordered  the  first  teams  to  halt, 
with  the  hope  that  we  might  have  time  be 
fore  dark  for  the  slow  teams  to  catch  up. 
But  such  was  not  to  be  our  luck,  although 
the  last  teams  trailed  on  till  darkness  closed 
about  them.  Worn  and  weary,  the  young 
oxen  were  unhitched  and  allowed  to  feed 
where  they  would,  while  we  ate  cheese  and 
crackers  for  our  evening  lunch,  being  too 
tired  to  hunt  wood  for  fires  or  to  cook  food. 

As  we  looked  back  over  our   scattered 


48         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

train,  Jake's  evil  prediction  came  to  mind, 
and  I  confess  it  looked  like  he  might  be  right, 
after  all.  To  make  matters  worse,  we  had 
hardly  gotten  settled  for  the  night  when  a 
terrific  thunder  shower  suddenly  put  in  its 
appearance  and  insisted  on  spending  the 
entire  night  in  our  immediate  locality.  Need 
less  to  say,  everything  was  soaked  to  a 
dismal,  soggy  state,  even  our  dispositions. 
We  rolled  up  in  our  blankets  as  best  we 
could,  and  slept  under  the  wagons  until  the 
streams  of  muddy  water  drove  us  out. 

At  daybreak  we  started  in  different  direc 
tions  through  the  wet  bushes  and  waist-high 
grass  that  filled  every  ravine,  in  search  of 
our  scattered  oxen.  We  took  time  to  cook 
a  warm  breakfast,  however,  and  all  drank 
quantities  of  strong  coffee,  to  make  up  for 
the  sleep  we  did  not  get.  But  when  we 
finally  got  the  train  lined  up,  we  discovered 
that  several  more  or  less  serious  accidents 
had  happened  to  us,  all  of  which  vexed  my 
uncle  sorely.  Two  of  our  best  young  cows 
had  fallen  into  a  steep,  unguessed  gully  and 
had  broken  their  necks.  One  load  of  heavy 
mine  machinery  had  run  downhill  and  up 
set.  One  axle,  two  tongues,  and  several 


A  MIDNIGHT  KIDNAPING      49 

yokes  were  broken,  not  to  mention  damaged 
harness  and  a  number  of  minor  things  that 
needed  repairs.  My  uncle  was  positively 
disgusted,  and  began  to  wonder  if  such 
things  were  to  be  a  daily  occurrence.  He 
was  just  preparing  to  go  to  work  on  repairs, 
when  Toleman  rode  up,  a  very  merry  twinkle 
in  his  eyes. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do,  Cap?"  he 
asked. 

"Got  to  make  these  repairs  before  we  can 
budge  an  inch,"  grumbled  my  uncle,  "and 
I  am  about  as  handy  at  such  things  as  a  bear 
at  a  piano." 

"Why  should  you  worry  over  them,  when 
we  have  a  firstclass  mechanic  riding  idly  in 
our  powder  cart?"  laughed  Toleman.  'Til 
go  fetch  him,  and  if  he  does  a  right  good 
job,  and  is  cheerful  about  it,  we  will  shorten 
his  sentence  a  notch.  I  calculated  we'd  need 
the  rascal  about  this  morning,  and  he'll  be 
glad  of  a  little  exercise." 

Soon  Cy  returned  with  Jake,  and  the  re 
pairs  were  gotten  under  way,  much  to  the 
merriment  of  all  the  tired  and  more  or  less 
disgruntled  drivers.  Bill  Sikes  was  on  hand 
too,  of  course,  to  make  a  few  suggestions  and 


So         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

incidentally  to  give  Jake  a  bit  of  fatherly 
advice ;  all  of  which  Jake  accepted  in  an  un 
usually  affable  manner.  But  behind  all  his 
self-control  there  was  a  purpose,  you  may 
rest  assured,  which  was  not  long  in  showing 
itself. 

Toleman  and  Hale  rode  back  to  town  to 
purchase  two  additional  yoke  of  oxen,  for 
it  was  now  very  evident  that  some  of  the 
younger  animals  were  not  going  to  be  able 
to  pull  their  heavy  loads  day  after  day.  Jake 
took  advantage  of  Toleman' s  absence  from 
the  camp,  and,  after  finishing  the  repairs  in 
a  first-class  shape,  drew  my  uncle  to  one 
side;  deliberately  apologized  for  his  rash 
loss  of  temper  at  our  home,  and  begged  to 
be  allowed  to  continue  with  the  train  to  the 
West,  pointing  out,  as  only  shrewd  Jake 
knew  how  to  do,  just  how  essential  he  would 
be  to  the  ultimate  success  of  our  whole  un 
dertaking. 

"Just  tell  me,  Mr.  Trout,"  he  said,  in  a 
last  earnest  appeal,  "what  are  you  going  to 
do  when  you  get  into  the  heart  of  the  Indian 
country  and  have  breakdowns  like  these? 
It  would  mean  that  you  would  have  to 
abandon  your  priceless  machinery  or  forfeit 


A  MIDNIGHT  KIDNAPING      51 

your  scalps.  Which  is  it  to  be?  You  will 
have  repairs  like  these  to  be  made  every  day 
of  the  trip,  only  there  will  be  many  more 
of  them,  for  wagons  won't  stay  new  long  on 
these  hot,  dry  prairies." 

My  uncle  asked  for  an  hour  to  consider 
his  proposition,  hoping  Cy  would  return  by 
that  time.  But  as  he  did  not  return,  after 
carefully  weighing  every  element  concerned, 
fully  aware  of  the  possible  costliness  of  a 
favorable  decision,  he  decided  in  Jake's 
favor.  He  warned  him,  however,  in  no  un 
certain  way  of  just  what  would  be  his  atti 
tude  toward  him  in  case  Jake  should  in  the 
slightest  way  forget  his  place  and  agree 
ment. 

Jake  secretly  gloried  in  his  victory,  al 
though  he  kept  himself  very  meek.  Instinc 
tively  I  seemed  to  realize  that  I  must  keep 
my  eyes  and  ears  open,  for  I  could  never 
forget  Jake's  malignant  threats  nor  the  look 
of  savage  hatred  on  his  face  that  night  at 
mother's.  It  nettled  me  just  a  little  that  my 
uncle  should  even  consider  having  him  along, 
knowing  what  it  might  mean  to  Hale  and 
me,  but  I  had  already  learned  in  one  twenty- 
four  hours  that  my  uncle  said  little,  thought 


52         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

much,  and  kept  his  own  council,  except  when 
he  was  angry. 

When  Toleman  returned,  he  received  the 
news  about  Jake  with  apparent  unconcern, 
and  even  laughed  about  it  a  bit.  Yet  I  was 
certain  that  I  saw  his  thin  lips  draw  tight 
about  his  mouth,  and  his  black  eyes  come 
together  just  a  little  doubtfully,  as  my  uncle 
confided  to  him  his  apparent  good  reasons 
for  keeping  Jake. 

"Cy,"  he  said  at  length,  "Jake  is  a  good 
friend  and  a  very  bad  enemy.  Every  man 
in  camp  is  onto  him  now,  so  that  he  is  not 
dangerous;  and,  really,  I  don't  see  how  we 
are  going  to  get  through  without  him.  You 
leave  him  to  me,  and  I'll  have  him  eating  out 
of  my  hand  in  a  week." 

"Jerusalem !  I  wish  you  hadn't  promised 
him,  Cap,"  was  all  Toleman  said,  but  it 
spoke  volumes  to  me.  Hale  told  me  after 
ward  that  Cy  had  come  direct  to  him,  as 
soon  as  the  train  was  in  motion  again,  and 
they  fell  well  back  to  the  end  of  the  line, 
where  they  could  talk  without  being  seen  or 
disturbed. 

"  'Taint  that  I  think  you  are  not  able  to 
care  for  yourself,  lad,"  he  said,  by  way  of 


A  MIDNIGHT  KIDNAPING       53 

introduction  to  Hale,  "but  I  haven't  navi 
gated  these  Western  cattle  ranges  all  my  life 
without  learning  a  few  little  points  about 
human  nature,  and  now  I'm  just  going  to 
give  you  the  advantage  of  my  observations. 
You  can  always  depend  on  a  thoroughbred, 
remember  that,  whether  he's  a  six-foot  giant 
or  a  stub.  They  always  play  square  and  in 
the  open.  But  when  you  are  dealing  with 
a  dunghill  breed,  you  must  keep  your  eye 
peeled  all  the  time.  Do  you  catch  my  drift? 
Well,  Jake  has  poison  in  his  heart  for  you 
two  boys,  and  I  want  you  to  always  be  ready 
for  him.  When  he  strikes,  it  will  more  than 
likely  be  in  the  dark  and  in  the  back.  You 
will  need  to  act  quickly,  or  he  is  sure  to  get 
you.  Now,  that  big  horse  pistol  you  have 
there  is  all  right  for  hunting  elephant  and 
buffalo  bulls,  but  for  skunks  it  is  too  blamed 
slow.  Watch  me  closely,  lad." 

In  the  bat  of  an  eye  a  small  pistol  suddenly 
appeared  in  Cy's  hand.  From  whence  it 
came,  Hale  hadn't  the  slightest  idea  in  the 
world,  but  there  it  was,  and  there  was  no 
mistaking  it.  Hale  just  gazed  at  his  friend 
in  unfeigned  admiration,  without  saying  a 
word,  then  suddenly : 


54         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

"Do  you  mean  that  Jake  might  attempt 
to  kill  me  in  cold  blood?"  he  asked. 

Toleman  laughed  his  merry  laugh  before 
he  answered. 

"Jerusalem!  No,  lad/'  he  said.  "He  is 
far  too  clever  to  do  anything  like  that.  He 
will  be  sure  that  the  shooting  is  accidental. 
He  may  even  attempt  to  only  cripple  you, 
so  that  you  would  have  to  be  sent  home. 
But  this  I  warn  you,  night  and  day  you  boys 
must  go  armed.  You  see  I  carry  this  little 
gun  in  my  sleeve.  It's  so  much  easier  to 
draw — see?"  and  he  snapped  the  little  Der 
ringer  in  and  out  with  an  odd  twist,  just  as 
if  that  was  all  he  had  been  doing  for  a  life 
time. 

"He'd  get  the  drop  on  you  every  single 
time  from  the  holster,  for  he  is  an  expert 
at  that,  but  he  doesn't  know  this  little  trick. 
One  of  the  old  Vigilants  of  forty-nine  taught 
it  to  me,  and  it  has  saved  my  hide  more  than 
once.  I  have  a  pair  of  these.  You  take  this 
one,  and  every  day  when  we  ride  on  ahead 
to  locate  a  camp  and  water  for  the  night,  I 
will  see  you  practice  a  bit.  It  is  dead  easy 
when  you  know  how. 

"Now,  don't  worry  about  him.    He  won't 


A  MIDNIGHT  KIDNAPING       55 

attempt  any  play  for  days,  because  he  has 
to  make  good  with  your  uncle  first  and  win 
the  confidence  of  these  men  before  he  has  a 
chance.  Meanwhile  we  will  watch  and  listen 
and  be  getting  ready.  What's  more,  lad," 
and  the  bronzed  young  trailer  reined  in  close 
to  the  boy  beside  him,  "remember  that  I'm 
in  on  this  game  too,  and  he  will  have  to  beat 
us  both  to  win.  I've  got  a  weather  eye  that 
never  sleeps — leastways  not  when  my  pard's 
in  danger." 

Hale  put  out  his  hand  and  looked  into  the 
kindly  face  of  the  sun-tanned  scout.  His 
heart  swelled  in  spite  of  himself,  and  all  he 
could  say  just  then  was,  "Thanks,  Cy."  But 
from  that  hour  on  he  felt  safe  even  in  the 
presence  of  Jake  when  Cy  Toleman  was 
around. 


CHAPTER  V 
SURROUNDED  BY  WOLVES 

THE  first  day's  adventures  taught  us  all 
many  things,  so  that  by  the  third  day 
things  were  working  in  a  much  more  sys 
tematic  manner.  All  the  teams  kept  near 
to  each  other  now,  so  as  not  to  leave  a 
weaker,  or  perchance  disabled,  team  in  the 
lurch.  Our  stock  was  guarded  each  night 
by  relays  of  the  drivers,  some  driver  being 
on  duty  at  each  side  of  the  herd  all  night. 
Each  watch  was  two  hours  long.  In  order 
not  to  work  a  serious  hardship  on  any  one, 
all  took  their  turn,  save  the  cook  and  myself. 
So  as  to  avoid  my  position  being  misunder 
stood  by  the  drivers,  or  from  being  looked 
upon  as  a  favorite  because  of  my  ill  health, 
I  purposely  volunteered  to  help  the  cook  do 
up  his  pans.  This  greatly  pleased  Bill,  for 
it  was  a  back-breaking  job  for  a  fat  man, 
at  best,  and  we  soon  became  quite  chummy. 
Often,  as  I  toiled  over  his  greasy  pots  and 
kettles,  or  scrubbed  away  at  his  fry  pans, 

56 


SURROUNDED  BY  WOLVES     57 

he  would  chat  with  me,  and  I  soon  learned 
that  he  was  very  shrewd,  and  at  times  a  true 
philosopher.  Incidentally,  I  gathered  from 
his  talk  that  he  greatly  distrusted  Jake  Hen 
derson  and  that  he  was  also  watching  him 
very  closely,  for  Jake  had  sworn  vengeance 
on  the  cook  already,  for  his  part  in  the 
kidnaping.  I  decided  to  tell  Bill  briefly  of 
Jake's  quarrel  with  my  uncle,  so  that  in  a 
way  he  might  understand  just  our  position. 
I  lived  to  be  truly  thankful  that  I  had  taken 
him  into  my  confidence,  and  never  once  did 
he  betray  me. 

The  third  day  out  our  appetites  came  into 
their  own,  and  we  nearly  ate  poor  Bill  out 
of  house  and  home.  It  seemed  we  could  not 
get  enough.  He  declared  in  deep  disgust 
that  he  made  a  thousand  flapjacks  every 
morning,  and  that  when  it  came  to  hot 
biscuits  and  syrup,  he  had  to  start  two  days 
ahead  of  time  to  get  enough  cooked  for  one 
meal.  However,  each  day  saw  things  work 
ing  a  little  better,  and  although  we  were  not 
making  race-horse  speed  by  any  means,  we 
were  fast  leaving  the  Missouri  hills  behind, 
and  in  due  time  pulled  into  Hiawatha, 
Kansas.  This  was  the  last  real  bit  of  civili- 


58         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

zation  that  we  saw.  All  the  rest  was  typi 
cally  Western  and  new.  The  summer  had 
been  a  very  dry  one  on  all  the  Western 
plains,  and  the  flat  endless  prairies  were 
parched  and  dusty  dry,  often  resembling  a 
huge  desert,  except  for  the  meager  fringes 
of  green  along  the  water  courses.  We  were 
in  constant  terror  of  prairie  fires,  and  twice 
narrowly  escaped  them;  once  a  heavy  rain 
saved  our  train  from  destruction,  and  the 
other  time  Toleman  saved  us  by  racing  into 
camp,  setting  a  back-fire,  and  then  retreat 
ing  into  the  burned  area  before  the  big  fire 
reached  us.  It  seemed  to  me  that  the  odor 
of  burning  grass  clung  to  everything  about 
the  train  for  days.  Cy  told  us  that  the 
prairie  fires  were  a  favorite  means  used  by 
the  Pawnees  to  stampede  stock  and  horses, 
but  so  far  we  had  seen  no  signs  of  Indians. 

The  heat  of  the  sun  was  so  intense  that 
the  distant  hills  seemed  to  fairly  quiver.  The 
iron  tires  and  wagon  hardware  were  blister 
ing  to  the  touch,  while  the  southwest  wind 
blew  over  us  like  a  blast  from  a  heated  fur 
nace.  So  intense  was  the  heat  at  midday 
that  the  oxen  soon  began  to  show  it  badly. 
They  would  pant,  loll  out  their  tongues,  and 


SURROUNDED  BY  WOLVES     59 

refuse  to  pull,  very  often  lying  down  in  their 
yokes.  This  tried  the  patience  of  every 
teamster  to  the  breaking  point.  Often,  at 
Cy's  suggestion,  we  traveled  only  in  the 
early  morning  and  into  the  long  twilight, 
resting  through  the  heat  of  the  day,  then 
sometimes  traveling  by  night  again,  when 
the  moon  gave  enough  light.  Cy  and  Hale 
were  always  off  bright  and  early  each  morn 
ing,  in  search  of  water  holes  and  shade,  both 
of  which  seemed  to  be  growing  rapidly 
scarcer.  Many  times  they  did  not  return 
all  day  long,  but  I  always  knew  that  their 
hours  were  not  being  wasted,  and  often  im 
agined  I  saw  them  practicing  with  the  little 
derringers  to  see  who  could  get  the  drop 
first. 

As  the  good  water  holes  became  scarcer 
the  hungry  prairie  wolves  became  more 
plentiful.  Many  nights  they  surrounded  our 
entire  circle  of  wagons.  Twice  Toleman 
just  averted  a  stampede  among  our  cattle 
and  oxen,  which  often  became  excited  over 
the  fierce  yelping  about  them.  Sometimes 
the  wolves  became  so  bold  that  they  would 
come  right  in  among  us  as  we  slept,  hunting 
for  discarded  scraps  from  our  evening  meal, 


60         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

often  frightening  us  badly.  If  any  one 
stirred,  the  green  eyes  would  silently  slink 
away  to  a  safe  distance.  Sometimes  the 
peaceful  night  would  be  shattered  by  a  series 
of  piercing  howls;  then  every  driver  would 
reach  for  his  gun  and  swear  vengeance. 

One  of  these  very  hot  days  was  just  end 
ing,  and  we  were  harnessing  for  a  night 
march,  when  one  of  our  best  and  strongest 
oxen  lay  down  in  her  yoke  and  refused  to 
rise.  Apparently,  she  was  sick  from  the 
heat.  In  order  that  the  train  might  not  be 
delayed,  my  uncle  asked  Hale  to  stay  by  her 
for  a  few  hours,  to  let  her  rest,  and  then  in 
the  cool  of  the  evening  to  drive  her  on.  He 
had  his  pony,  and  could  easily  overtake  us 
before  we  should  camp. 

Hale  gladly  dropped  out,  but  took  the 
precaution  to  take  a  generous  supply  of 
ammunition  with  him,  and  his  rifle.  As  night 
came  on  the  old  ox  grew  weaker  instead  of 
stronger,  until  Hale  realized  it  would  never 
walk  again.  Yet  he  disliked  leaving  the 
poor  helpless  thing  to  the  savage  fangs  of 
the  wolf  pack.  Several  times  the  idea  came 
to  him  to  shoot  the  critter  and  ride  back.  But 
the  old  ox  seemed  to  fully  realize  its  situa- 


SURROUNDED  BY  WOLVES     61 

tion,  and  watched  the  boy's  every  move  with 
an  almost  pleading  look  not  to  be  left  alone 
on  the  desert.  "You  have  pulled  a  heavy 
load  these  many  days,  and  I  won't  forsake 
you,"  cried  the  boy.  "Let  the  pack  come; 
we'll  give  them  plenty  of  hot  medicine." 

Soon  after  dark  the  wolves  seemed  to 
realize  they  were  about  to  have  a  feast,  and 
so  came  early  in  anticipation.  First  there 
were  only  a  dozen,  and  then  twenty,  and  by 
the  time  it  was  really  dusk,  Hale  could  see 
a  solid  circle  of  dark  bodies  about  him,  all 
seated  on  their  haunches  expectantly.  Sev 
eral  times  he  shot  into  them  just  to  see  the 
black  forms  scamper  and  to  hear  them  yelp, 
but  soon  he  decided  this  was  a  foolish  waste 
of  ammunition,  and  that  from  indications  he 
was  liable  to  need  every  shell  he  had  before 
morning.  He  tied  his  pony  to  a  stout  clump 
of  Spanish  bayonet,  and  then  settled  down 
for  what  he  soon  realized  was  to  be  an  all- 
night  vigil.  The  howls  grew  more  frequent 
now,  and  took  on  a  fiercer  note  of  impatience, 
as  much  as  to  say,  "What  is  one  puny  boy, 
that  he  should  keep  a  wolf  pack  from  its 
legitimate  prey!"  Soon  the  howling  and 
circle  of  firelike  eyes  became  monotonous, 


62         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

and  Hale  lay  down  a  bit  by  the  old  sick  ox. 
Three  times  he  did  this,  and  the  third  time 
the  wolves,  emboldened  by  the  stillness, 
sneaked  up  close  and  broke  out  in  piercing 
yelps,  only  to  instantly  vanish  when  he  would 
again  move  about. 

So  the  long  night  wore  slowly  on.  Never 
before  had  Hale  been  so  lonesome  or  so  far 
away  from  protection.  He  laughed  a  grim 
little  laugh  as  he  thought  what  his  dear 
mother  would  think  if  she  knew  just  where 
he  was  at  that  hour — completely  surrounded 
by  a  pack  of  blood-thirsty  wolves,  on  a  bleak 
and  barren  plain,  miles  from  anywhere.  Yet 
he  was  not  afraid.  He  deliberately  counted 
his  ammunition.  He  had  eleven  charges  for 
his  rifle  and  nine  for  his  pistol,  that  was  all. 
He  was  sorry  now  that  he  had  wasted  a  good 
half  dozen  shots  just  at  dusk,  for  in  case 
the  pack  should  charge,  he  must  make  every 
single  shot  a  fatal  one,  and  he  was  sure  he 
could  do  just  that  thing  at  such  close  range. 

The  preceding  days  had  been  very  strenu 
ous  ones,  and  Hale  was  tired  out.  His  head 
would  nod  now,  in  spite  of  himself,  and 
twice  toward  midnight  he  fell  asleep  for  just 
a  moment.  The  last  time  he  slept  a  long 


SURROUNDED  BY  WOLVES     63 

time,  when  suddenly  he  felt  the  old  ox  make 
a  violent  lurch.  He  jumped  to  his  feet,  rifle 
in  hand,  for  not  fifty  feet  away  from  him 
was  the  circle  of  green  eyes,  with  one  pair 
slightly  in  advance  of  all  the  others.  As  he 
got  to  his  feet,  they  howled  a  blood-curdling 
howl  and  sprang  forward.  Deliberately 
Hale  took  aim  and  shot.  The  foremost  wolf 
toppled  over,  but  almost  instantly  another 
was  in  its  place.  He  shot  again  and  again, 
now  each  shot  laying  low  a  leader,  but  there 
was  no  stopping  them  now,  for  they  had 
smelled  blood.  Why  hadn't  he  been  thought 
ful  enough  to  gather  a  pile  of  buffalo  chips 
before  dark  and  build  him  a  fire  ?  He  knew 
full  well  there  was  ample  protection  behind 
such  a  fire,  even  from  a  hungry  wolf  pack. 
Cy  had  often  told  him  so. 

He  realized  that  his  situation  was  rapidly 
growing  desperate,  for  while  he  was  picking 
off  a  leader  in  front  of  him,  another  would 
nearly  reach  him.  Of  course  it  was  the  ox 
meat  they  were  after,  but  how  was  he  to 
separate  himself  from  the  ox  so  that  he 
would  not  actually  share  in  the  carnage? 
That  was  what  bothered  him  most.  His 
shots  were  now  reduced  to  two  shells  for 


64         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

his  rifle  and  three  for  his  pistol.  They  were 
all  that  stood  between  him  and  certain  death. 
It  was  then  for  the  first  time  in  several  hours 
that  he  thought  of  his  pony,  and  turned  to 
it  as  a  possible  escape,  but  to  his  amazement 
he  could  not  distinguish  him  in  the  dark. 
He  worked  his  way  over  to  the  shrub  where 
he  had  tied  the  animal,  but  even  that  was 
gone — pulled  out  by  the  roots.  His  pony 
had  bolted  while  he  slept ! 

Fortunately  for  Hale,  that  was  just  what 
had  happened ;  and  it  was  his  riderless  pony 
racing  into  camp  an  hour  later  that  probably 
saved  his  life.  In  a  secondlmy  uncle,  mounted 
on  his  wiry  mule,  and  Toleman  on  his  wild 
Western  mustang,  were  racing  over  back 
tracks  to  where  the  ox  and  Hale  had  been 
left.  From  time  to  time  they  heard  shots, 
and  Toleman  only  too  well  knew  what  sort 
of  a  drama  was  going  on  yonder  in  the 
desert  blackness. 

"Hope  the  boy  doesn't  shoot  away  all  his 
ammunition  before  we  get  there,"  he 
breathed,  as  he  urged  his  horse  on  faster. 
"Shooting  wolves  on  these  prairies  is  like 
trying  to  exterminate  mosquitoes.  When 
you  get  done  with  a  killing  there  are  more 


SURROUNDED  BY  WOLVES     65 

present  than  before  you  begun.  I  'low  as 
how  that  ox  has  died  and  those  blood-thirsty 
scavengers  are  bound  to  have  fresh  meat 
before  morning.  I  hope  he  built  a  fire." 

"Likely  he  did  not,"  muttered  the  Captain, 
"for  he  only  expected  to  stay  a  couple  of 
hours.  I  wonder  why  he  did  not  leave  at 
dark." 

"The  lad  would  not  leave  the  old  ox  if  she 
was  still  alive,  and  I'm  thinking  that  he 
probably  dozed  off  to  sleep,"  said  Cy,  "or 
else  his  horse  would  never  have  gotten  away 
from  him.  The  boy  is  a  bit  soft  yet,  and 
was  so  tired  all  day  that  he  could  hardly 
keep  in  his  saddle." 

The  Captain  hurried  his  mule  on  with  re 
newed  vigor,  as  he  muttered  bitterly,  "I 
ought  to  have  known  better  than  to  send 
that  lad  on  such  an  errand.  If  anything 
happens  to  him  on  this  trip,  I  can  never 
again  face  his  mother." 

"He  ain't  dead  yet,  by  a  jugful !"  cheerily 
called  Cy.  "There,  hear  that  shot?  He  is 
busy  picking  off  the  leaders,  one  at  a  time, 
as  they  get  into  close  range.  I've  done  the 
same  thing  many  a  time.  In  ten  minutes 
we'll  be  alongside." 


66         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

Ping!  sang  a  rifle  bullet  just  to  their  right. 
Suddenly  Toleman  pulled  his  pistol  and  fired 
three  shots  in  rapid  succession — it  was  the 
agreed  signal  between  him  and  Hale.  Three 
minutes  later  the  two  men  dashed  into  the 
circle  of  yelping,  howling  wolves,  and  found 
Hale,  a  very  much  excited  boy,  standing 
erect  on  the  rump  of  the  big  ox,  his  rifle  at 
his  feet  and  his  pistol  in  his  right  hand.  He 
was  making  his  last  stand. 

"Jerusalem !"  called  Toleman,  as  he  slid 
from  his  lathered,  heaving  horse.  "What 
you  up  to,  lad?  Where  is  your  fire?" 

Hale  was  never  so  glad  to  see  human 
forms,  or  hear  voices,  before,  for  he  had 
been  certain,  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
before  that  his  part  in  the  gold  expedition 
was  about  over. 

"Eleven  scalps  isn't  so  bad  for  a  tender 
foot/'  said  Toleman,  as  he  dragged  the  dead 
wolves  in,  one  at  a  time,  to  the  side  of  the 
old  ox.  The  circle  had  withdrawn  a  bit  to 
see  what  this  new  interference  with  their 
midnight  meal  meant,  before  charging  in 
upon  it  again. 

"Quick!  Let's  get  out  of  here!"  called 
Toleman.  "Climb  on  behind,  lad,  and  let's 


SURROUNDED  BY  WOLVES     67 

let  'em  have  that  meat.     They  will  forget 
all  about  us  in  a  few  moments/' 

They  reached  camp  about  three  in  the 
morning,  and  from  that  time  on  I  observed 
that  most  of  the  drivers  treated  Hale  with 
more  respect  than  had  been  their  habit,  while 
Cy  never  lost  an  opportunity  to  comment 
upon  what  was  bound  to  happen  to  any 
animal,  wild  or  human,  that  insisted  on 
picking  a  scrap  with  a  cocky  little  game  bird 
like  Hale.  Of  course  the  real  significance 
of  such  remarks  was  always  lost  on  all  save 
Sikes,  but  to  Bill  they  were  moments  of  pure 
delight,  to  be  chuckled  over  all  the  next  day. 


CHAPTER  VI 
OUR  FIRST  SIGHT  OF  INDIANS 

TO  say  the  least,  our  progress  was  dis 
couraging.  So  much  so  that  secretly 
some  of  us  began  to  doubt  a  bit  if  we  would 
ever  really  see  the  Rockies  at  all.  The  ter 
rific  heat  continued  without  a  break,  and 
every  day  the  wagon  seemed  heavier.  We 
were  averaging  but  a  mile  an  hour.  It  was 
little  wonder,  then,  that  it  was  two  long 
weeks  before  we  reached  the  Big  Blue  River 
at  Marysville.  This  was  a  small  settlement 
on  the  very  edge  of  civilization,  situated  on 
the  main  branch  of  the  old  Oregon  Trail 
which  starts  due  north  at  Westport,  Mis 
souri,  and  then  passes  Fort  Leavenworth. 
As  I  remember  it,  it  consisted  mostly  of  a 
disorderly  cluster  of  saloons,  a  few  little 
stores,  and  a  number  of  raw  ranches. 

The  inhabitants  had  a  very  bad  reputa 
tion  ;  in  fact,  were  supposed  to  be  mostly  out 
laws,  blacklegs,  and  stock  thieves.     Conse 
quently,  we  kept  very  close  watch  on  our 
68 


FIRST  SIGHT  OF  INDIANS       69 

train  night  and  day,  and  even  detoured  con 
siderably  to  keep  from  camping  too  near  to 
them.  Even  with  this  precaution  we  came 
near  having  serious  trouble.  One  of  our 
drivers,  unfortunately,  met  old  friends  here, 
and  they  succeeded  in  persuading  him  that 
he  was  on  a  wild  goose  chase,  and  to  go 
no  further  with  us.  So  we  found  ourselves 
again  fortunate  in  having  the  extra  man 
that  Toleman  had  brought  from  Saint  Joe 
supposedly  to  take  the  place  of  the  driver 
on  Number  Six. 

That  evening,  much  against  my  uncle's 
wishes,  a  half  dozen  of  the  Missourians 
walked  into  the  village  to  celebrate,  and  as 
a  result  of  drinking  too  much  "40  rod"  we 
were  compelled  to  start  on  the  morrow  short 
two  more  drivers.  It  at  once  became  neces 
sary  for  Jake  to  drive  a  team,  which  circum 
stance  greatly  pleased  him,  for  it  made  him 
just  that  much  more  indispensable  to  my 
uncle.  I  offered  to  drive  the  other  wagon, 
as  I  was  fast  becoming  strong  and  vigorous 
with  the  fresh  air,  strenuous  work,  and 
simple  fare,  so  that  we  were  not  so  badly 
handicapped  after  all. 

Our  course  now,  as  we  supposed,  lay  for 


70         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

several  days  along  the  bank  of  the  Little 
Blue  leading  directly  to  Fort  Kearney  on 
the  Platte.  Time  after  time  we  were  com 
pelled  to  make  great  circling  detours  to  avoid 
the  deep,  sandy  washes  that  were  every 
where.  Invariably  we  had  to  come  back 
to  the  river  for  our  camp  at  night.  Upon 
one  such  occasion  we  were  compelled  to 
make  a  forced  march  of  at  least  twenty  miles, 
taking  us  all  day  and  most  of  the  following 
night  to  find  water.  This  trip  nearly  ex 
hausted  our  strength  and  brought  forth 
much  grumbling  from  the  men.  It  was  very 
evident  that  our  whole  train  was  fast  getting 
worn  and  weary.  Many  of  the  oxen  had 
developed  sore  feet,  and  many  of  the  cattle 
had  an  infection  of  the  eyes,  no  doubt  due 
to  the  dry  heat  and  the  flies.  Every  man 
had  lost  his  appetite,  because  of  the  ever 
lasting  sameness  of  the  menu  and  the  bitter 
water  that  we  were  compelled  to  drink. 
Cheek  bones  were  fast  beginning  to  show, 
and  faded,  ragged  clothes  to  hang  more 
loosely  on  the  sun-browned,  drooping 
figures. 

What,  then,  was  our  joy  when  one  day 
Toleman  and  Hale,  while  scouting  for  water 


FIRST  SIGHT  OF  INDIANS       71 

holes,  sighted  a  lone  buffalo  wandering  in 
solitude  over  the  plains.  They  took  up  the 
chase,  and  after  an  hour's  racing  in  the 
broiling  sun  succeeded  in  killing  the  great 
brute.  It  was  now  Bill  Sikes's  turn  to  be 
come  popular.  Accordingly,  he  whetted  his 
knives  and  strode  forth  to  butcher  the 
carcass,  at  which  job  he  proved  to  be  an 
artist.  The  animal  was  old  and  tough,  but 
notwithstanding  that,  the  tongue  and  tender 
loins  were  relished  greatly,  after  having 
dined  on  salt  side  and  beans  for  three  solid 
weeks. 

"The  best  part  of  this  little  party,"  com 
mented  Toleman,  "is  that  this  old  fellow  is 
just  an  indication  that  we'll  soon  be  where 
they  are  so  thick  you  can't  see  the  end  of 
the  herd;  and  then,  boys,  we'll  have  buffalo 
veal  and  porterhouse  steaks  three  times  a 
day.  We'll  make  it  a  real  celebration,  for 
there  will  be  regular  seas  of  them — restless, 
brown  seas  of  humped,  shaggy  backs  and 
fiercely  tossing  heads.  They  will  give  us 
plenty  of  excitement  you  may  be  sure,  for 
with  them  there  will  be  deer,  antelope,  great 
flocks  of  geese,  and  now  and  then  a  flock  of 
brown  turkeys." 


72         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

"And  perhaps  a  bear  or  two,"  suggested 
Hale  in  mock  earnestness. 

"O  yes,"  laughed  Cy.  "No  fooling,  fioys. 
We  are  liable  to  scare  up  a  grizzly  any  day 
now,  for  they  are  as  fond  of  fresh  buffalo 
as  the  rest  of  us." 

We  were  destined  to  have  another  excite 
ment  first,  however,  for  early  the  very  next 
morning  Toleman  declared  he  saw  horsemen 
to  the  West,  and  strongly  suspected  that 
they  were  Indians,  although  it  would  be  at 
least  a  week  before  we  would  be  into  the 
regular  Sioux  country.  Accordingly,  he 
and  Hale  rode  off,  their  rifles  across  their 
saddles,  to  "read  the  prairies,"  as  Cy  called 
it.  Before  starting,  however,  Toleman  told 
my  uncle  to  keep  the  train  in  close  formation, 
and  warned  every  driver  under  no  circum 
stances  to  shoot.  Such  hideous  tales  of 
Indian  atrocities  had  filtered  back  to  Mis 
souri  by  returning  prospectors  and  hunters 
that  every  Missourian  felt  duty  bound  to 
shoot  every  Indian  that  in  any  way  crossed 
his  path.  No  doubt  this  very  ignorant  preju 
dice  was  the  direct  cause  of  many  bloody 
battles  in  the  years  of  '60  to  '65  that  could 
just  as  easily  have  been  avoided  if  every 


FIRST  SIGHT  OF  INDIANS       73 

train  had  been  under  the  careful  supervision 
of  a  master  plainsman  like  Cy  Toleman. 

In  an  hour  the  scouts  returned,  very  much 
excited,  and  reported  a  big  band  of  Pawnees 
in  full  war  paint,  evidently  scouting  the 
plains  for  some  lost  trail.  Cy  was  of  the 
opinion,  however,  that  this  was  simply  a 
blind  to  give  them  time  to  look  us  over  and 
see  what  we  were  going  to  do. 

"The  Pawnees  and  Sioux  are  hated 
enemies,"  explained  Cy,  "and  there  are  none 
of  the  redskins  that  are  so  treacherous  as 
the  Sioux." 

They  circled  nearer  and  nearer,  staying 
well  together,  and  finally  the  tawny  chief, 
with  his  sable  braids  falling  each  side  of  his 
painted  face,  gay  in  the  headdress  of  dyed 
eagle  plumes,  his  buckskin  shirt  jeweled  with 
blue  beads  and  elks'  teeth,  advanced  with  his 
hands  extended.  Cy  rode  forth  likewise, 
and  parleyed  with  him.  After  a  time  the 
chief  rode  back  to  his  band,  and  we  saw  no 
more  of  them  that  day.  We  were  thoroughly 
thankful,  for  we  had  troubles  enough  of  our 
own.  The  waters  of  the  Little  Blue  were 
gradually  growing  less  and  less.  Just  about 
noon  we  came  to  the  very  last  stagnant  pools. 


74         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

I  well  remember  that  these  were  so  full  of 
frogs  and  snakes  that  the  men  refused  to 
drink  at  all.  The  thirsty  cattle  did  not  seem 
to  mind,  and  paid  no  attention  to  the  count 
less  tadpoles  or  the  thick  brown  scum  that 
clung  to  the  edge  of  every  pool.  We  took 
several  pails  of  it,  set  them  in  one  of  the 
wagons  to  settle,  and  at  supper  that  night 
boiled  it,  skimmed  off  the  top,  and  made 
strong  coffee  from  it.  The  odor  of  mud 
clung  tenaciously,  however,  and  made  most 
of  us  sick. 

Our  situation  suddenly  became  very  seri 
ous,  for  with  bands  of  prowling  Pawnees 
on  one  hand  and  no  water  on  the  other,  we 
were  in  danger  of  total  extermination.  We 
finally  held  a  council  of  war,  but  it  resulted 
in  nothing  constructive.  Several  of  the 
drivers  were  sick,  and  made  no  bones  about 
grumbling,  suggesting  that  if  we  had  had  a 
real  guide,  instead  of  a  loquacious  happy- 
go-lucky  cow  puncher,  we  would  be  farther 
along  than  we  were,  and  in  better  condition ; 
just  as  if  poor  Cy,  or  any  other  man,  was 
able  to  make  poor  trails  into  roads  or  heavy 
loads  light  by  a  change  in  disposition. 

I  at  'once  recognized  the  origin  of  the 


FIRST  SIGHT  OF  INDIANS       75 

trouble.  Jake  had  begun  his  fiendish  work 
of  sowing  seed  of  rebellion,  discontent,  and 
discord.  I  thought  I  would  mention  my 
suspicion  to  my  uncle,  but  on  second  thought 
I  decided  not  to,  as  he  had  grown  tired  of 
the  petty  complaints  and  just  a  bit  touchy 
on  all  points  relative  to  Jake.  I  thought 
sometimes  during  those  trying  days  of  dis 
couragement  that  he  was  just  a  bit  disap 
pointed  himself  in  Cy,  for  we  had  struck 
such  bad  country  and  practically  no  roads 
at  all  for  days.  I  talked  with  Sikes  about  it, 
and  was  not  surprised  to  find  that  he  had 
the  answer,  as  he  most  always  did. 

"Don't  you  for  a  second  blame  Cy/'  he 
said  with  some  feeling.  "If  it  wasn't  for 
him  we  would,  like  as  not,  be  dying  right 
now  in  some  old  dry  sump-hole,  everlast 
ingly  lost.  You  remember  Cy  urged  and 
advised  the  longer,  safer  route  from  Fort 
Leavenworth  to  the  Platte,  but  the  Captain 
was  anxious  to  save  the  extra  week  of  time, 
so  took  the  short  cut,  and  here  we  are.  In 
a  wet  season  this  route  wouldn't  be  so  bad, 
for  there  would  be  both  grass  and  water. 
But  it's  a  dry  season,  and  we  must  take  our 
medicine.  It's  that  scoundrel  Jake  that  is 


76         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

causin'  this  discontent,  and  not  heat,  poor 
water,  nor  bad  roads.  Sir,  I'm  dead  cock 
sure  of  it." 

Cy  was  not  altogether  unaware  of  this 
feeling  toward  him,  but,  true  scout  that  he 
was,  held  his  peace  while  hour  after  hour, 
with  Hale  close  at  his  side,  they  scoured  the 
country  for  water  and  the  trail  that  led  to 
the  Fort.  They  too  carried  water  bags  tied 
to  their  saddles,  scanned  the  prairie  closely, 
but  said  very  little. 

That  night,  for  the  first  time,  we  camped 
absolutely  dry,  and  the  discontent  was  much 
more  apparent,  for  every  man  wanted  water, 
and  wanted  it  badly.  At  the  fire  the  talk 
became  openly  rebellious,  and  I  began  to 
fear  trouble.  My  uncle  said  very  little,  and 
I  noted  that  before  dark  Cy  and  Hale  re- 
saddled  their  horses.  I  felt  uneasy  in  spite 
of  myself,  but  could  do  absolutely  nothing 
but  wait,  and  keep  my  eye  on  Jake. 


CHAPTER  VII 
AVERTING  A  MUTINY 

IT  had  been  dark  an  hour  when  my  uncle, 
with  no  apparent  destination,  picked  up 
his  rifle  and  left  the  fire  to  walk  alone  in  the 
darkness.  Unfortunately,  it  gave  Jake  just 
the  opportunity  that  he  had  been  craving, 
and  with  a  triumphant  leer  and  a  knowing 
wink  or  two  at  Keats,  the  driver  of  Number 
Six,  he  began  to  lead  up  to  the  subject  of  a 
revolt,  getting  two  men  to  do  most  of  the 
talking  and  merely  assenting  to  their 
opinions  himself. 

Toleman  and  Hale  had  left  early  in  one 
last  effort  to  run  down  a  faint  trail  Cy  had 
discovered  just  before  supper,  so  that  Bill 
and  I  were  the  only  two  left,  and  were,  of 
course,  in  a  decided  minority.  I  believe  now 
that  Jake  realized  perfectly,  from  studying 
his  crude  road  map,  just  about  where  we 
were,  and  knew  that  it  was  just  a  matter  of 
a  few  days  until  we  should  come  to  Fort 
Kearney.  He  also  knew  that  at  this  point 
77 


78         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

we  would  strike  the  main  route  from  the 
States  to  the  mountains  and  California. 
Right  now  was  his  time  to  act  if  he  was 
to  succeed  at  all  in  breaking  up  our  train. 
He  full  well  knew  that  at  the  junction  we 
would  find  many  other  wagon  trains  going 
both  East  and  West,  and  that  if  he  could 
stir  up  enough  discontent,  many,  or  perhaps 
all,  of  our  men  would  turn  back  to  the  East, 
while,  if  worst  came  to  worst,  he  would  have 
no  trouble  in  joining  himself  to  some  other 
Westbound  train  as  a  mechanic.  Victory 
was  at  last  within  his  grasp,  and  it  was 
worth  all  he  had  gone  through  to  have  his 
way  at  last.  He  was  certain  that  by  careful 
manipulating  he  could  disrupt  our  party  be 
fore  another  night.  It  was  evident  that  at 
least  half  of  the  drivers  were  solid  on  his 
side,  while  three  others  were  yet  on  the  fence. 
I  could  not  understand  why  my  uncle  did  not 
deal  more  harshly  with  them  all,  but  it  was 
evident  that  he  too  had  lost  spirit. 

"I  wouldn't  go  through  another  four 
weeks  like  this  for  all  the  gold  in  Colorado/' 
complained  one.  (I  noted  it  was  Keats  who 
was  speaking.) 

"Nor  I,  for  all  that's  in  California  added 


AVERTING  A  MUTINY          79 

to  it,"  growled  another.  "It's  me  for  old 
Missouri  just  as  soon  as  we  hit  the  main 
road,  if  I  have  to  walk  all  the  way  back." 

"O  bah !"  I  cried,  unable  to  hold  my  tongue 
any  longer.  "Some  of  you  would  sell  your 
soul  for  seventy-five  dollars,  so  what  is  the 
use  of  your  talking  about  what  you  would 
do  for  all  the  gold  in  Colorado?  I  wouldn't 
trust  many  of  you  with  even  a  baby's  bank 
of  pennies." 

Perhaps  it  was  very  unwise  for  me  to  let 
them  know  that  we  had  all  the  facts  of  the 
powder  deal  with  Jake,  but  at  any  rate  it 
made  me  feel  better.  Keats  glared  at  me 
sullenly,  and  talked  on  to  the  man  next  him 
in  an  undertone,  saying: 

"This  is  our  chance,  men.  Let's  take 
things  into  our  own  hands.  It's  life  or  death 
with  me  now,  for  I  don't  believe  Cy  Tole- 
man  has  any  idea  where  he  is  going." 

"I'm  getting  heartily  tired  of  salt  side  and 
sinkers,  too,"  whined  Jake.  "Why  can't  we 
have  more  food?  That  commissary  wagon 
is  full  of  better  grub  that  is  being  saved 
until  after  the  Captain  is  through  with  us. 
Gents,  I  move  we  petition  the  Cap  for  more 
and  better  rations — anything  we  want,  in 


80         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

fact,  and  if  he  refuses,  we'll  help  ourselves 
for  once.  What  do  you  say?  I  told  you 
before  we  started  that  we  wouldn't  get  a  half 
dozen  square  meals  all  the  way  out." 

The  next  thing  I  knew,  Bill  Sikes  raised 
his  huge  bulk  to  his  feet,  his  hands  twitching 
nervously  the  while,  as  if  anxious  to  be  at 
some  imaginary  enemy.  Instead  of  his 
usual  flow  of  piercing  sarcastic  invective,  he 
simply  laughed.  It  was  not  a  merry  laugh 
to  hear,  but  it  was  a  laugh,  and  it  did  the 
trick  nicely. 

"Yew  Yorkshire  razor-backs,"  he  cried, 
"eat!  eat!  Why,  dad  burn  your  copper 
hides,  yew  ain't  cleaned  up  the  grub  that  has 
been  set  before  yew  for  more  than  a  week 
past.  Eat!  Why,  yew  pack  of  whining, 
belly-aching  coyotes,  why  don't  yew  mutiny? 
I  dare  yew !  Why,  there  ain't  a  man  among 
yew  that  can  boil  water.  Every  one  of  yew 
would  starve  in  a  week  with  all  the  raw 
provisions  in  creation  piled  up  in  your  camp. 

"Why,  a  drove  of  common  Missouri  mules 
has  more  gray  matter  than  yew.  Yew  sit 
around  here  in  the  sun  all  day  like  a  lot  of 
pet  snakes,  expecting  Providence  to  take 
yew  to  Colorado,  and  letting  that  skinny 


AVERTING  A  MUTINY          81 

little  yap  over  yonder  do  all  your  thinking 
for  yew.  I'd  just  about  as  leave  live  with  a 
pack  of  polecats  as  to  associate  much  longer 
with  a  pack  of  hounds  that  lick  their  mas 
ter's  hands  when  he's  a  lookin5  and  then 
whine  and  bite  when  he's  gone."  Then, 
turning  to  Jake,  he  shouted  almost  fiercely: 

"Jake  Henderson,  yew  are  hungry,  be 
yew?  Well,  derned  if  I  don't  feed  yew.  Do 
yew  hear  me?  I'm  going  to  feed  yew  till 
you're  full.  Clayton,  go  fetch  me  that  four- 
quart  crock  of  prunes  and  one  of  them  warm 
Johnny  cakes.  Boys,  he's  got  to  eat.  What 
do  yew  say?  Eat  till  he's  plumb  full  for 
once — full;  do  yew  hear  me?" 

Bill's  suggestion  struck  just  the  right  chord 
with  the  drivers,  for  they  were  yearning  for 
a  bit  of  relaxation  and  excitement  of  some 
kind  to  break  the  dead  monotony  of  oxen 
and  wagons  and  hot,  sun-baked  prairies. 
Jake  insisted  that  he  could  not  eat  prunes, 
that  his  stomach  resented  their  flavor.  But 
Bill  was  obdurate.  Prunes  it  was  to  be.  So 
I  brought  the  great  crock,  set  it  on  the 
ground,  and  put  a  huge  new  Johnny  cake 
beside  it,  then  waited  to  see  the  fun. 

"Wish  I  knew  where  the  Captain  kept  his 


82         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

castor  oil,"  observed  Bill.  "I'd  fix  'em  so 
they  wouldn't  hurt  yew  none,  Jake." 

Jake  made  a  break  for  liberty,  but  two  of 
the  younger  drivers  captured  him  and 
promptly  brought  him  back.  They  did  not 
mean  to  be  cheated  out  of  their  fun  like  that. 
Jake  was  compelled  to  sit  in  the  circle,  the 
prune  crock  between  his  legs,  a  hunk  of  corn 
bread  in  one  hand  and  a  tin  soup-spoon  in 
the  other,  and  then  eat. 

Several  times  he  tried  to  pass  the  matter 
off  as  a  joke,  and  explain  to  Bill  that  he  was 
not  complaining  any  of  his  cooking,  but 
merely  of  the  variety  of  the  food.  Twice  he 
attempted  to  rise  after  having  eaten  con 
siderable  of  the  sauce  and  corn  bread,  but 
both  times  Bill  brought  him  back  to  his  seat 
with  the  order  to  "Eat!  Eat!  you  skinny 
little  runt !  Prunes  will  put  meat  onto  your 
spare  ribs." 

Jake  at  last  exploded,  and  cursed  Bill  as 
only  Jake  Henderson  could.  But  Bill  only 
laughed,  and  then,  quietly,  without  a  bit  of 
stir,  he  produced  a  little  pistol  from  some 
where — no  one  was  at  all  certain  from  just 
where — and  pointing  it  straight  at  the  cring 
ing  form  of  Jake,  he  thundered: 


AVERTING  A  MUTINY          83 

"Eat  every  last  prune!  Do  yew  hear  me? 
I'm  goin'  to  feed  yew  well  for  once,  even  if 
prunes  are  a  mighty  big  luxury  out  here  in 
this  God-forsaken  country." 

Jake  raged  and  swore  till  his  little 
weazened  face  was  scarlet,  while  the  prune 
juice  trickled  down  through  his  dirty 
whiskers  in  rivulets. 

"I'll  kill  you  for  this!"  raged  Jake.  "I 
warn  you  now,  Bill  Sikes,  you  are  a  dead 


man." 


Everybody  laughed,  till  I  thought  some 
of  them  would  burst,  all  save  the  driver  of 
Number  Six,  and  he  sat  with  disgust  on 
every  feature.  I  knew  full  well  he  was  a 
coward,  or  he  would  have  championed  Jake's 
cause  there  and  then. 

Jake  was  just  finishing  the  last  drop  of 
juice  when  suddenly  there  came  a  wild 
clatter  of  hoofs,  and  Toleman,  with  Hale 
at  his  side,  dashed  into  camp,  a  bag  of  cold 
water  hanging  to  each  saddle  horn. 

"Drink,  gents,"  he  said,  cheerfully.  "It's 
really  the  first  wet  water  I've  had  for  a  week. 
It's  as  clear  as  crystal,  and  what's  more, 
there  is  oceans  of  it.  To-morrow  we  hit  the 
main  route  of  the  Oregon  Trail  and  the 


84         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

Platte,  and  we  have  saved  at  least  six  days 
by  our  cut-off/' 

Every  man  again  became  human,  and 
began  to  chat  as  they  had  weeks  before. 
Some  were  even  joyous  as  they  drank  deeply 
from  the  bag.  Jake  declined  to  drink,  and  I, 
for  one,  did  not  wonder  at  it,  for  just  where 
a  little  man  like  Jake  could  have  put  that 
crock  of  prunes  I  did  not  know. 

"Hurray  for  the  mighty  Platte!"  shouted 
first  one,  and  then  they  all  joined,  save 
Keats.  The  second  hour  of  danger  was 
past !  Jake  had  lost  again.  There  would  be 
no  mutiny,  and  Cy  was  a  royal  good  fellow 
after  all.  Six  days  ahead  of  schedule,  and 
that  meant  gold.  Jake  just  scowled,  and  I 
full  well  knew  that  already  he  was  planning 
his  revenge.  Bill  had  broken  the  camel's 
back,  so  to  speak,  and  I  was  sure  that  his 
doom  must  be  sealed,  and  yet  I  felt  sure  Bill 
would  be  able  to  take  care  of  himself. 

Before  daylight  the  next  morning  all  the 
oxen  were  yoked  and  hitched.  We  began  a 
second  forced  march  to  water,  only  this  time 
we  knew  for  a  certainty  that  it  was  actually 
there,  and  it  helped  mightily.  The  sun  rose 
early,  and  seemed  determined  to  thwart  our 


AVERTING  A  MUTINY          85 

plan  if  possible.  I'm  sure  it  was  a  hundred 
in  the  sun,  and  not  a  sign  of  shade  or  a  bit 
of  air.  We  ignored,  for  the  time  being,  our 
rule  of  close  formation,  and  let  the  strong 
teams  go  ahead.  Consequently,  long  before 
noon  the  teams  were  badly  separated,  and 
every  driver  just  unhitched  where  he  was, 
to  let  the  oxen  browse  and  rest.  Hale  rode 
on  the  one  side  of  the  long  line  back  and 
forth  continually,  while  Toleman  rode  the 
other  side,  keeping  a  sharp  lookout  for 
Indians,  while  my  uncle  went  on  ahead  to 
locate  the  best  camp  spot  he  could  find  along 
the  river.  It  was  fully  three  miles  from  the 
lead  wagon  to  our  last  ox  team,  yet  we  felt 
safe,  being  so  near  to  the  Fort.  Toward 
the  middle  of  the  afternoon  my  uncle  reap 
peared,  and  I  knew  from  the  way  he  rode 
that  he  had  been  successful  in  finding  a  good 
spot. 

"I  saw  the  stars  and  stripes,"  he  cried. 
"We  have  reached  Fort  Kearney." 

"Thank  God !"  I  answered. 

The  word  was  passed  on  down  the  line 
to  every  teamster,  and  it  certainly  was  like 
food  to  the  famishing.  Even  the  oxen 
seemed  to  smell  water  and  took  a  new  brace. 


86         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

We  camped  just  beyond  the  Fort,  on  the 
bank  of  the  river,  and  every  member  of  our 
party  fairly  wallowed  in  the  clear  running 
waters  that  evening. 

We  decided  to  rest  here  two  full  days,  so 
as  to  overhaul  our  wagons,  rest  the  tired 
oxen,  and  tend  to  our  letters,  for  we  found 
much  mail  awaiting  us  that  had  come  on  by 
Pony  Express.  It  was  from  this  mail  that 
we  learned  that  the  bank  where  the  entire 
balance  of  my  uncle's  funds  were  on  deposit 
had  failed,  so  that  our  present  undertaking 
was  all  that  stood  between  us  and  absolute 
ruin.  I  remember  that  he  just  smiled  a  grim 
smile,  however,  and  said : 

"Well,  there  is  a  great  plenty  more  of  the 
stuff  in  the  hills  of  Colorado,  and  with  luck 
and  another  moon  we'll  be  digging  it  out." 

Several  of  our  drivers  made  straight  for 
the  little  saloon,  "to  wash  the  alkali  dust  out 
of  their  throats/'  as  they  explained,  and  were 
soon  drunk,  with  other  goldseekers.  Among 
them,  of  course,  were  Jake  and  the  driver  of 
Number  Six.  He  had  never  been  sober  for 
so  long  a  time  before  in  all  his  life,  and  so 
celebrated  to  the  limit.  My  uncle  begged 
them  not  to  go,  but  they  went  in  spite  of  him. 


AVERTING  A  MUTINY          87 

As  a  result,  the  much  needed  repairs  had  to 
wait. 

My  uncle  was  so  disgusted  over  the  delay 
that  he  finally  saddled  his  mule  and  went  to 
the  Fort.  There  he  found  Jake  entertain 
ing  a  bunch  of  wags,  all  of  whom  were  hope 
less,  and  soon  left  the  place,  disgusted.  He 
had  the  good  fortune  to  meet  up,  however, 
with  a  tall  Down-East  Yankee,  who  had 
been  forced  to  lay  over  on  account  of  a  slight 
sunstroke.  He  proved  to  be  a  blacksmith, 
a  humorist,  and  a  sage,  as  we  all  discovered 
soon  after  his  arrival  in  camp,  for  my  uncle 
had  hired  him  to  take  Jake's  place  for  the 
balance  of  the  trip,  and  to  set  up  our  mill  at 
the  other  end.  The  break  had  come,  and  we 
knew  it  would  be  final.  We  did  not  see  Jake 
again  until  we  reached  the  gold  fields, 
although  many  faster  trains,  drawn  by 
horses  and  mules,  passed  us  nearly  every 
day.  From  the  time  Jake  left  us,  or  rather, 
we  left  him,  there  was  a  new  spirit  among 
the  drivers.  We  made  better  progress,  and 
everybody  was  better  satisfied.  Our  new 
friend,  Wilson,  proved  to  be  a  genius  in 
disguise,  and  soon  we  had  a  folding  table 
rigged  to  the  rear  of  the  grub  wagon  to  eat 


88         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

from,  a  crude  table  and  chair  in  my  wagon 
for  my  books  and  accounts,  and  a  dozen 
other  little  improvements  about  the  wagons 
and  harness. 

Bill  and  Red  (for  we  promptly  dubbed 
him  "Red,"  regardless  of  the  fact  that  he 
owned  less  than  two  dozen  straggling  hairs 
on  the  back  of  his  head)  soon  became  fast 
friends,  and  spent  all  their  leisure  time  dis 
cussing  the  slavery  question,  that  was  al 
ready  a  live  issue  in  the  States.  Bill's  sym 
pathies  were  strongly  with  the  South,  while 
Red  was  a  red-hot  abolitionist,  so  we  had 
plenty  of  heated  arguments  and  much  amuse 
ment  as  well. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
BUFFALO  BY  THE  MILLION 

OUR  course  now  lay  along  the  south  side 
of  the  Platte  all  the  way  into  Denver. 
The  grass  was  much  better,  and  the  roads, 
being  greatly  traveled,  were  in  fairly  good 
shape.  The  Platte  valley  is  a  broad,  gravelly 
bottom  extending  hundreds  of  miles  from 
old  Fort  Kearney,  and  is  hemmed  in  on  both 
sides  by  low,  rounding  bluffs.  From  these, 
the  plains  run  away  in  endless  tablelands. 

A  few  days'  travel  down  the  valley 
brought  us  into  the  buffalo  country,  and  we 
began  to  see  small  herds  in  the  distance,  but 
always  too  far  away  for  chase.  However, 
we  knew  it  would  only  be  a  matter  of  days 
till  we  would  have  the  fresh  meat  we  so 
sorely  needed.  It  fell  to  Hale  to  actually 
usher  in  the  change  of  diet.  He  was  riding 
through  a  belt  of  cottonwoods  and  willows, 
skirting  the  river  one  morning,  in  search 
of  uncle's  saddle  mule,  when  suddenly  he 
came  upon  a  buffalo  cow  and  a  calf  grazing 


90         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

in  the  bushes.  He  circled  so  as  to  get  a  shot 
from  the  rear,  but  in  so  doing  frightened  the 
animal  to  such  an  extent  that  she  broke  for 
the  tableland,  followed  by  her  calf.  In 
stantly  he  gave  chase,  and  soon  was  within 
shooting  distance.  His  first  shot  went  com 
pletely  wild,  but  the  second  lodged  in  the 
shoulder.  Suddenly  the  great  animal 
wheeled  and  charged,  causing  the  little  pony 
to  side  step  so  quickly  that  Hale  nearly  left 
the  saddle.  In  "grabbing  leather"  he 
dropped  his  rifle  and  had  to  depend  entirely 
on  his  pistol,  which  he  used  with  good  suc 
cess,  and  soon  both  cow  and  calf  were  dead. 
As  Bill  served  up  the  sizzling  hot  steaks  that 
evening  he  commented  that  Jake  should  be 
present  to  enjoy  the  "embellished  menu/' 
which  joke  all  enjoyed  exceedingly. 

The  next  day  we  arrived  at  an  adobe 
ranch  house,  occupied  by  a  stalwart  man  and 
his  young  son.  The  masterful  way  the  small 
lad  could  handle  his  pinto  pony  and  swing 
his  lariat  completely  captured  Toleman,  and 
we  could  hardly  get  him  past  the  ranch. 

"Have  you  seen  the  big  herd  yet?"  asked 
the  young  cowboy. 

"Not  yet,  son,"  replied  Cy.    "How  far  to 


BUFFALO  BY  THE  MILLION    91 

the  first  rank?  I  suppose  the  valley  is  full 
of  them  already — humps,  horns,  and  all?" 

"Sure!"  said  the  boy,  carelessly.  "There 
are  about  a  million  of  them.  They  stampeded 
past  here  a  few  nights  ago,  and  it  took  most 
all  night  for  them  to  pass.  We  kept  a  fire 
burning  to  keep  them  from  running  us  down. 
The  bulls  were  savage,  and  many  calves 
were  tramped  to  death.  The  wolves  have 
been  feasting  ever  since." 

"A  million  of  them  ?"  I  said,  incredulously. 
"That  could  not  possibly  be !" 

Cy  just  laughed.  "You'll  see  more  buffalo 
in  a  few  days  than  you  ever  could  imagine 
were  in  the  world,"  he  said  to  me,  with  a 
friendly  wave  of  his  big  hat  to  the  lad. 
"That's  the  stuff  the  new  West  is  made  of, 
Clayton.  He  is  a  thoroughbred,  that  lad, 
and  will  be  the  father  of  a  new  generation." 

Sure  enough,  the  next  day  we  passed  a 
dozen  or  more  small  herds  of  from  twenty 
to  a  hundred  animals  in  number  and  found 
every  watering  place  muddied  and  dirty. 
That  evening  we  camped  at  the  edge  of  the 
big  herd  that  extended  some  seventy-five 
miles  to  the  West  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach,  like  a  heavy  growth  of  young  spruce. 


92         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

Of  course  the  herd  was  not  solid,  but  when 
one  bunch  moved  they  all  did.  I  afterward 
learned  that  usually  the  cows  and  calves 
stayed  bunched  pretty  well  to  the  center, 
with  a  stout  bodyguard  of  bulls  completely 
around  them  for  protection. 

"Where  ever  did  they  all  come  from?"  I 
asked  Cy,  as  we  sat  by  the  fire  that  evening. 

"O,  they  probably  started  far  up  in  the 
Arkansas  valley  in  the  spring,  and  have  just 
now  hit  the  Platte.  They  come  for  water 
and  the  grass,  and  then  there  is  protection 
in  their  great  numbers  against  the  vast 
hordes  of  wolves  that  harass  the  cows  and 
kill  the  calves.  When  once  cold  weather 
comes  again,  and  the  big  herd  splits  up, 
there  will  be  thousands  upon  thousands  of 
whitening  carcasses  dotting  the  valley." 

The  first  watch  on  the  cattle  that  night 
fell  to  Toleman  and  one  of  the  drivers.  They 
came  in  at  the  end  of  their  watch  and  re 
ported  that  the  oxen  were  quite  uneasy  and 
that  it  looked  much  like  storm,  suggesting 
to  my  uncle  that  the  wagons  be  drawn  into 
a  great  circle  and  that  the  oxen  and  cattle 
be  corraled  inside  for  safe  keeping.  The 
Captain  thought  there  would  be  no  trouble, 


BUFFALO  BY  THE  MILLION    93 

as  the  buffalo  herd  was  at  least  three  to  five 
miles  away,  and  so  we  retired  for  the  night. 
Hale  and  Red  Williams  were  the  second 
watch,  and  I  noted  that  they  left  the  fire  a 
bit  reluctantly.  As  it  grew  darker,  the 
wolves  began  to  howl  in  all  directions,  and 
soon  the  great  bulls  of  the  herd  began  to 
bellow  back  their  defiance,  until  the  heavens 
were  fairly  rent  with  wild  pandemonium. 
The  cold  chills  ran  up  and  down  every  man's 
back,  and  it  was  very  evident  that  there  was 
to  be  little  sleep  in  camp  that  night.  My 
uncle  finally  grew  quite  uneasy,  and  ac 
knowledged  that  he  had  made  a  big  mistake 
in  not  following  out  Cy's  advice  about  the 
cattle.  Toleman  said  nothing  more,  but  I 
noted  his  pony  stood  saddled  just  the  same 
and  tied  to  a  wagon  wheel  near  his  bunk. 
By  and  by  uncle  brought  his  mule  and  tied 
him  alongside,  then  we  began  to  realize  that 
they  were  expecting  trouble. 

"A  fellow  would  need  the  whole  United 
States  artillery  to  fight  that  bunch  of  bulls," 
observed  Bill.  "I,  for  one,  wish  we  were 
on  the  other  side  of  this  river  till  morning. 
I  wouldn't  care  to  be  mixed  up  in  a  stampede 
with  that  herd/' 


94         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

Finally  the  Captain  and  Toleman  mounted 
and  rode  out  toward  our  stock,  to  see  just 
how  things  were  going. 

"They  are  scattering,"  said  Cy.  "We 
better  call  the  men  out  at  once  and  round 
up  what  we  can  and  tie  them  fast,  for  if  they 
ever  get  into  that  herd  of  buffalo  they  are 
gone.  A  needle  in  a  haystack  would  be  in 
plain  sight  compared  to  them." 

The  Captain  agreed,  and  all  hands  were 
called  out,  but  already  the  oxen  had  strayed 
far.  We  succeeded  in  getting  in  less  than 
half  of  them.  Hale  and  Red  went  farther 
out  and  prepared  to  keep  a  watch,  but  agreed 
to  stay  together  as  a  matter  of  safety.  Once 
Hale  was  positive  that  two  horsemen  passed 
him  to  the  left,  but  could  not  distinguish  a 
single  detail.  Far  away  to  the  north  he  saw 
a  tiny  light  twinkle,  but  supposed  it  to  be 
another  outfit  ahead  of  them,  and  gave  it 
little  further  thought. 

With  the  first  gray  of  dawn  they  returned 
to  camp  to  snatch  a  bit  of  rest  while  the  rest 
of  us  should  hunt  up  the  strayed  cattle  and 
do  the  harnessing.  Some  of  the  animal?  had 
gone  up  stream,  some  down,  and  some  had 
wandered  a  mile  out  toward  the  great  black 


BUFFALO  BY  THE  MILLION    95 

herd.  We  found  a  few  asleep  in  the  tall  grass 
and  bushes.  Two  old  oxen  were  completely 
mired  in  the  quicksands,  and  only  after 
hours  of  labor  under  the  expert  direction  of 
Cy  were  we  able  to  save  them  at  all.  Two 
hours  before  noon  all  the  animals  had  been 
found,  save  two  teams  of  our  best  oxen,  and 
search  as  we  might  we  could  not  find  them. 
When  Hale  and  Red  awoke  we  told  them 
of  our  pligHt?  and  instantly  Hale  remem 
bered  that  he  had  seen  two  horsemen  the 
night  before,  and  exclaimed:  "Those  men 
were  cattle  thieves.  O,  why  didn't  I  pot 
them  when  I  had  a  chance!  It  never  oc 
curred  to  me  what  they  were  doing." 

"Jake  and  his  friends  again/'  suggested 
Bill.  But  my  uncle  only  laughed  at  him,  for 
Jake,  as  he  supposed,  had  no  horses,  or 
money  to  buy  them  with,  either,  as  far  as 
that  was  concerned. 

"It  couldn't  possibly  have  been  Jake,  Bill/' 
my  uncle  replied,  "for  he  is  doubtless  still 
drunk  at  the  Fort.  Anyway,  he  is  too  big 
a  coward  to  take  any  chances  at  cattle  thiev 
ing,  for  they  hang  them  in  this  country  for 
that  offense — often  without  a  trial/' 

"I'm  going  to  find  those  oxen  if  it  takes 


96         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

till  Christmas,"  said  Toleman,  starting  to 
saddle  his  horse. 

"And  I'm  going  with  you!"  cried  Hale, 
"for  if  they  were  really  stolen,  it  was  my 
fault." 

Accordingly,  the  rest  of  us  made  a  start, 
while  Toleman  and  Hale  loaded  their  cart 
ridge  belts  and  set  off  on  the  hunt. 

"Have  you  any  gold  coin,  Captain?"  said 
Toleman,  when  he  was  ready  to  go. 

"I  have  just  fifty  dollars  to  my  name,"  my 
uncle  replied.  "Why  do  you  ask?" 

"Better  give  it  to  me.  I  may  need  it," 
replied  Cy.  "Two  or  three  days'  time  is 
more  valuable  to  us  just  now  than  those  fifty 
dollars,  I  judge.  You  see,  I  may  get  a  chance 
to  buy  them  pesky  oxen  back  again  before 
night.  You  can't  tell  in  this  country." 

He  winked  knowingly.  My  uncle  gave 
him  the  coin,  and  the  two  set  out  down  the 
valley.  After  riding  an  hour  or  so,  and 
closely  observing  every  track,  Toleman 
swung  to  the  right  and  headed  for  a  great 
clump  of  cottonwood  that  stood  in  a  draw 
away  from  the  river. 

"There  is  a  ranch  over  there,  I  think,"  he 
said  to  Hale,  "and  it  may  be  that  our  oxen 


BUFFALO  BY  THE  MILLION    97 

were  out  hunting  for  a  night's  lodging. 
We'll  just  take  a  look  anyway."  So  together 
they  rode  up  the  lane  leading  to  the  corral. 

"Jerusalem !"  cried  Cy.  "There  they  are, 
every  mother's  son  of  them !  and  eating  hay ! 
Now,  lad,  let  me  do  the  talking,  and  you  get 
your  little  derringer  well  set  up  your  sleeve, 
'cause  I'm  liable  to  have  an  altercation  with 
this  ranchman.  If  he  gets  gay,  and  I  give 
you  the  wink,  cover  him.  We  have  got  to 
get  those  oxen — peaceably  if  we  can,  of 
course ;  but  if  not  that  way,  then  some  other." 

Just  then  the  rancher,  seeing  the  riders 
coming,  put  in  his  appearance. 

"Huntin'  something,  gents?"  he  asked, 
friendly  like. 

"Nope — already  found  what  we  were 
hunting  for,"  laughed  Cy.  "Those  pesky 
critters  (indicating  our  oxen)  smelled  that 
hay  of  your'n  some  miles,  pardner.  I'll  be 
derned  if  they  didn't."  He  eyed  the  old  man 
very  closely.  % 

"You  don't  mean  to  suggest  that  those 
oxen  are  your'n,  do  you?"  said  the  rancher, 
in  great  surprise.  Then,  without  a  bit  of 
urging  on  our  part,  he  told  us  all  he  knew. 

"Two  tough  looking  fellers  brought  them 


98         OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

here  last  night.  It  was  considerably  after 
dark,  and  they  explained  that  they  had  had 
a  serious  breakdown  and  was  abandoning 
one  of  their  heavy  wagons.  Not  knowing 
what  to  do  with  the  two  extra  teams  of  oxen, 
and  seeing  our  light  and  supposing  it  was 
a  ranch,  they  decided  to  leave  them  with 
me  until  they  returned  in  the  spring,  'lowing 
as  how  I'd  be  able  to  make  good  use  of  them 
if  they  didn't  cost  me  anything.  We  made 
a  bargain,  and  if  they  never  returned,  the 
critters  were  to  belong  to  me.  It  all  seemed 
fair  enough,  so  I  agreed.  The  poor  duffers 
looked  about  worn  out  and  near  desperate." 

"What  did  they  look  like?"  said  Cy  kindly. 

The  old  rancher  began  to  describe  them, 
and  before  he  was  half  through,  I  cried, 
"Jake  Henderson  and  Keats !" 

"Exactly!"  said  Toleman.  "But  your 
uncle  will  never  believe  it.  Those  two  men 
have  gotten  hold  of  horses — stolen  them, 
probably,  at  the  Fort — and  are  hurrying  to 
the  gold  country,  living  by  their  wits."  Then 
turning  to  the  rancher,  he  said : 

"Those  two  scoundrels  were  cattle  thieves, 
and  would  give  anything  to  wreck  our  train. 
I  tell  you,  good  and  plenty,  if  such  business 


BUFFALO  BY  THE  MILLION    99 

keeps  on,  these  danged  wolves  are  going  to 
have  a  new  kind  of  meat  for  supper  one  of 
these  nights,  and  I'm  going  to  feed  'em.  We 
are  much  obliged  to  you,  sir,  for  caring  for 
these  critters,  and  here  is  a  little  practical 
appreciation."  He  slipped  a  ten-dollar  gold 
coin  into  the  rancher's  hand.  "Jnst  you  tell 
them  gents,  if  they  ever  return,  which  isn't 
at  all  likely,  that  Cy  Toleman,  of  Cross- 
Bar-X,  is  on  their  trail,  and  that  he  will  per 
sonally  settle  for  this  piece  of  business." 

The  old  man  swung  wide  the  gate  and 
drove  the  oxen  out.  After  having  a  cooling 
drink  from  the  rancher's  spring,  the  two 
started  back  to  camp,  driving  the  animals 
before  them.  They  reached  us  just  at  dusk, 
and  we  were  certainly  glad  to  see  them  come, 
for  delays  were  maddening  now,  with  team 
after  team  passing  us  every  day. 

That  night  the  big  herd  came  closer  than 
before,  and  gave  us  much  anxiety,  for  there 
seemed  to  be  no  way  to  avoid  them.  They 
were  everywhere.  They  stretched  away  in 
what  seemed  to  be  endless  herds.  We  drew 
our  wagons  into  a  great  circle  and  herded 
our  cattle  inside.  They  did  not  rest  well  or 
feed  good,  but  there  seemed  to  be  nothing 


ioo       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

else  for  us  to  do.  We  kept  a  close  guard 
over  our  train  all  the  night,  but  saw  nothing 
or  heard  nothing  save  the  howl  of  wolves 
and  the  bellowing  of  enraged  buffalo  bulls. 

The  next  day  the  great  herd  drew  closer 
to  ouit  line  of  march,  and  at  noon  we  were 
compelled  to  wait  several  hours  for  them 
to  get  out  of  our  way.  Sometimes  a  small 
herd  would  get  frightened  at  one  of  our 
rattling,  jolting  wagons,  and  would  start  on 
a  run  that  soon  became  a  wild  stampede,  the 
hindermost  animals  following  those  before 
them,  and  in  their  blind  fury  crowding  for 
ward  with  such  irresistible  force  that  the 
leaders  could  not  stop  if  they  would.  Often 
during  the  next  few  days  the  drivers,  from 
their  seats,  would  pepper  the  animals  with 
bullets.  Several  times  when  we  were  in  the 
direct  path  of  what  appeared  to  be  a  gather 
ing  stampede,  several  of  us  would  run  out, 
shouting  and  shooting  our  pistols  to  scare 
the  leaders.  In  this  way  we  succeeded  in 
changing  their  course  sufficiently  to  save  our 
train  from  becoming  entangled. 

There  was  only  one  advantage  in  being 
near  to  the  big  herd.  We  had  choice  cuts 
of  fresh  meat  every  day,  and  in  addition 


BUFFALO  BY  THE  -MILLION  Voii 

jerked  quantities  of  the  tenderloin  for  future 
use  by  cutting  it  in  strips  and  curing  it  in 
the  hot  dry  air  of  the  covered  wagons,  where 
it  was  partially  protected  from  the  dust. 
Without  a  bit  of  exaggeration,  I  am  certain 
there  were  millions  and  millions  of  buffalo 
in  that  great  herd.  I  learned  after  my  re 
turn  from  the  West  that  Horace  Greeley, 
while  crossing  the  Platte  valley  in  a  stage 
coach,  just  two  years  previous  to  our  trip, 
had  encountered  the  same  great  herd,  and 
that  he  had  estimated  it  at  not  less  than  five 
million  animals. 

Three  days  after  leaving  the  great  herd 
behind,  we  struck  the  main-traveled  road 
from  East  to  West,  and  met  many  horse 
and  mule  trains  that  were,  of  course,  making 
faster  time  than  we  were.  We  were  glad 
to  see  them  too,  for  they  brought  news  of  the 
East,  and  gave  us  a  bit  of  new  companion 
ship,  for  which  we  were  truly  grateful.  We 
also  began  to  meet  the  vanguard  of  the  re 
turning  army  of  disappointed  gold  hunters. 
Some  were  walking,  footsore  and  discour 
aged,  many  times  apparently  half  starved. 
Some  were  riding  lone  oxen — perhaps  the 
very  last  of  a  once  prosperous  outgoing  train. 


OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

Others  were  riding  in  worn  and  rickety 
wagons,  drawn  by  starving,  weary  animals. 
The  stories  that  they  told  were  a  bit  disquiet 
ing,  and  anything  but  encouraging  to  a 
party  that  had  gone  through  all  that  we  had 
experienced. 

They  told  us  there  was  no  gold,  after  all ; 
that  it  was  all  a  gigantic  lie ;  that  provisions 
were  priceless,  flour  often  selling  for  one 
hundred  dollars  a  barrel.  The  camps  were 
full  of  sickness,  the  roadway  infested  with 
Indians  and  bandits,  and  that  every  known 
disease  was  running  rampant  in  the  hills, 
killing  off  thousands.  Every  one  that  had 
not  already  died  was  preparing  to  start  back, 
and  by  spring  the  hills  would  be  deserted. 
Some  said  the  roads  into  the  mountains  were 
fairly  strewn  with  the  carcasses  of  horses 
and  oxen  that  had  petered  out  along  the  way. 

My  uncle  listened  to  them  all  with  pity, 
but  with  scorn.  He  had  been  there  before. 
He  had  seen  this  selfsame  sort  of  men  and 
knew  them  thoroughly.  He  continually 
reminded  us  that  these  returning  ones  were 
the  weaklings,  the  shallow,  fickle  men  that 
had  gone  out  under  great  excitement,  not 
fully  counting  the  cost,  and  often  reminded 


BUFFALO  BY  THE  MILLION  103 

us  that  his  information  was  reliable,  and 
that  he  would  certainly  find  some  traces  of 
the  yellow  gold. 

The  effect  of  all  these  stories  on  our  tired 
drivers,  however,  was  marked,  and  finally 
my  uncle  felt  called  upon  to  contract  defi 
nitely  with  each  man  to  give  him  half-time 
work  for  two  months  after  our  arrival,  or 
until  they  could  get  mines  of  their  own 
opened  up  and  in  working  condition.  It  was 
in  these  discouraging  days  that  Red  Wilson 
proved  a  real  boon.  He  would  tell  stories 
by  the  hour,  and  had  the  wonderful  faculty 
of  being  able  to  see  the  funny  side  of  every 
thing  unfortunate  that  happened.  He  helped 
many  of  us  keep  a  stiff  upper  lip  and  stay 
hopeful  when  things  looked  awfully  dark. 

One  evening  we  came  up  with  a  dilapi 
dated  old  prairie  schooner,  to  which  were 
hitched  a  pinto  pony,  a  bony  mule,  and  a 
team  of  thin,  worn  oxen  that  could  hardly 
walk.  On  the  side  of  the  canvas  tarpaulin 
that  stretched  over  the  top  was  painted  in 
big,  bold  letters,  "Pike's  Peak  or  Bust!" 
Red  carefully  chose  a  charred  stick  from  the 
fire  and  added  just  below,  "Busted,  by 
Thunder !" 


CHAPTER  IX 
INDIANS! 

THE  terrible  tales  of  Indian  ravages  that 
came  to  us  every  few  days  now  upset 
us  worst  of  all.  We  feared  getting  into  their 
country,  for  we  were  traveling  more  slowly 
each  day,  and  we  knew  not  the  moment  when 
we  would  have  to  go  into  camp  indefinitely 
while  the  oxen  rested.  Several  other  trains 
had  sent  a  man  to  suggest  that  we  unite  for 
safety's  sake,  but  my  uncle  declined  each 
offer.  Finally,  one  morning,  as  our  fore 
most  wagon  reached  the  ^top  of  a  gefitle 
swell,  Toleman  let  out  a  single  exclamation 
that  instantly  set  every  man  of  us  on  his 
mettle* 

"Indians !" 

Sure  enough,  just  a  mile  ahead  of  us,  five 
or  six  hundred  Sioux  were  camped  by  the 
river,  while  scores  of  their  ponies  grazed 
on  the  open  plain.  Toleman  called  a  brief 
halt,  and  gave  his  orders  to  our  men. 

"Every  man  of  you  arm  himself  at 
104 


INDIANS!  105 

just  as  conspicuously  as  possible,  with  guns 
and  knives,  and  put  on  just  as  bold  a  face 
as  you  can.  If  our  train  bespeaks  fear  or 
weakness  in  any  way,  we  are  lost;  but  if 
we  appear  to  be  strong  and  ready  to  fight, 
they  are  almost  certain  to  wish  to  parley  and 
to  trade  with  us.  We  have  made  provision 
for  just  this  sort  of  a  thing,  and  will  strive 
hard  to  win  their  friendship,  but  be  ready 
for  anything." 

We  drove  boldly  forward,  my  uncle,  Hale, 
and  Toleman  well  in  the  lead,  on  their 
mounts,  the  rest  of  us  following  in  close 
formation.  Soon  several  of  their  braves, 
also  armed  to  the  teeth,  came  out  apparently 
to  meet  us,  when  they  suddenly  split  into 
two  bands,  circled  our  entire  train,  and 
then  rode  back  to  their  own  camp.  They 
were  evidently  sizing  us  up.  We  were 
near  enough  to  count  the  lodges  along  the 
river  now,  and  found  there  were  more  than 
forty.  As  we  approached  their  camp  we 
were  met  by  a  drove  of  dirty  wolf-dogs, 
which  howled  and  made  a  great  fuss,  many 
of  them  snarling  and  showing  their  teeth. 
There  were  many  children,  who  stopped 
their  play  to  gaze  at  our  big,  heavy  wagons. 


106       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

Finally  the  chief,  in  gay  war  bonnet  and 
blanket,  came  out  toward  us  with  hands  ex 
tended,  crying,  "How-do !  how-do !  how-do !" 
and  we  solemnly  shook  hands  all  round. 

They  wanted  to  trade  for  whisky,  powder, 
and  tobacco,  but  we,  by  a  little  talking,  were 
able  to  please  them  with  an  assortment  of 
cheap  beads,  small  sacks  of  sugar,  and  many 
pocketknives  that  Cy  had  wisely  included  in 
our  outfit.  They  wanted  to  know  how  many 
days  away  the  big  herd  was,  and  we  sup 
posed  they  must  be  out  on  their  annual  hunt, 
which  proved  to  be  the  case. 

We  did  not  stop  long  with  them,  but 
pushed  on  a  couple  of  miles  beyond,  and  then 
camped,  to  show  the  red  men  that  we  trusted 
them.  Toleman  declared  that  was  the  best 
medicine,  and  we  were  willing  to  try  it, 
although  I'm  prompted  to  say  there  was 
little  or  no  sleeping  done  in  our  camp  that 
night.  Just  as  soon  as  supper  was  eaten, 
Toleman,  Hale,  and  my  uncle  selected  some 
of  the  best  of  our  provisions  and  rode  back 
to  their  camp  to  head  off  any  night  trouble 
that  might  be  developing  by  a  gift.  The 
chief  received  them  in  a  very  friendly  man 
ner,  and  insisted  that  all  of  them  have  a 


INDIANS!  107 

smoke  from  his  foul  pipe,  as  a  sign  that  they 
were  friendly  people. 

Hale  was  much  interested  in  a  pretty 
young  squaw  who  sat  in  the  doorway  of  a 
tepee,  and  the  chief  at  once  noticed  it.  In 
an  instant  he  began  to  jabber  and  make 
signs  for  a  trade.  Hale  was  too  surprised 
to  speak,  but  Cy  just  laughed  and  laughed, 
finally  motioning  the  old  chief  back. 

"No  trade,  no  trade,"  he  cried.  "Boy  no 
want  wife  yet.  Need  pony  for  long  time  to 
mountains."  Then,  slipping  some  twists  of 
tobacco  into  the  chief's  hand,  they  bade  him 
good  night,  and  returned  to  camp. 

"That  was  a  close  shave,  Hale,"  he 
laughed  "The  old  chief  wanted  to  trade 
you  his  daughter  for  your  pony.  That  is  the 
regular  price  of  a  squaw  among  his  people. 
Jerusalem !  you'd  make  a  great  squaw-man." 

We  were  all  happy  that  Cy's  diplomacy 
had  saved  what  might  easily  have  been  a 
bloody  battle  to  the  death  for  prospectors 
to  tell  about.  Three  days  later  we  were 
startled,  just  at  sunrise,  by  a  blood-curdling 
yell  just  to  our  left.  Like  a  shot  Toleman 
and  Hale  were  out  of  their  blankets  and 
grasped  their  shooting  irons,  expectantly. 


io8       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

"Utes!"  breathed  Cy.  "Jerusalem!  but 
they  scared  me !  That  is  their  war  cry,  and 
when  you  hear  it  there  is  no  quarter  given 
or  asked  usually." 

Directly  in  front  of  us,  on  a  ridge  of  high 
ground,  stood  twelve  ponies,  each  carrying 
an  Indian  rider,  and  all  in  war  paint  and 
feathers. 

"They're  on  the  warpath  proper,"  said 
Cy.  "I  hope  none  of  our  Missourians  shoot. 
You  slip  along  from  wagon  to  wagon  and 
tell  the  drivers  to  be  ready,  but  not  a  man  to 
show  his  face.  Our  train  is  big,  and  they 
will  suppose  there  are  many  more  of  us  than 
there  really  are."  Then,  snatching  a  white 
towel  that  lay  nearby,  and  with  both  hands 
held  high,  Cy  advanced  to  meet  them.  They 
parleyed  a  long  while,  but  did  not  seem  to 
be  satisfied.  Finally  Cy  told  them  that  there 
were  three  hundred  Sioux  not  two  days' 
journey  up  the  valley.  They  withdrew  to 
talk  over  this  news,  while  Cy  waited,  for  the 
Sioux  and  the  Utes  were  bitter  enemies  and 
fought  desperately  to  the  very  last,  each  in 
an  effort  to  hold  supremacy  over  the  great 
buffalo  hunting  grounds  of  the  Platte  valley. 

The  braves  dismounted  and  came  to  our 


INDIANS!  109 

camp,  examining  every  wagon  and  its  con 
tents  with  great  curiosity  and  interest,  until 
they  came  to  the  big  engine  boiler  that  was 
simply  chained  fast  to  the  running  gear  of 
a  short  wagon. 

"What  him?"  asked  the  chief  of  the  band 
with  great  concern. 

"Heap  steam  cannon!  Big  shoot!"  an 
swered  Toleman  seriously.  "Him  much 
kill,"  he  added,  spreading  his  arms  in  a  big 
sweep  so  as  to  take  in  half  of  the  prairie. 

The  chief  was  much  impressed,  and  at 
once  treated  us  all  with  renewed  respect. 
We  filled  them  full  of  white  man's  breakfast, 
Bill  fairly  outdoing  himself  with  his  flap 
jacks.  My  uncle  presented  the  chief  with 
the  pistol  Jake  had  left  behind,  which,  of 
course,  pleased  the  old  redskin  very  much. 
In  a  little  while  they  rode  away,  after  having 
seen  everything  we  had  and  having  care 
fully  estimated  our  strength.  There  was  no 
doubting  their  interest  in  our  stock  from 
their  many  glances  toward  them.  When 
they  were  safely  out  of  hearing,  my  uncle 
turned  to  Toleman,  with  his  hand  extended 
in  a  friendly  way,  a  happy  smile  on  his  face : 

"Cy,  you  are  a  marvel  of  ingenuity.    We 


I  io       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

were  just  about  man  to  man,  and  they  had 
the  advantage  over  us  of  being  mounted. 
Your  cannon  yarn  saved  our  hides  to-day, 
for  those  redskins  are  looking  for  blood,  if 
I'm  not  mistaken.  I'm  glad  they  are  gone." 

"But  they  are  not  gone,"  said  Toleman, 
much  to  our  surprise.  "They  will  be  back 
again  soon,  and  stay  as  long  as  we'll  feed 
them.  We  must  keep  a  sharp  eye  out  to 
night,  for  they  are  the  slickest  cattle  thieves 
in  the  West.  They  will  steal  your  horse 
right  out  from  in  under  you  and  leave  you 
to  walk.  Hale  and  I  had  better  do  the  guard 
duty  to-night,  and  we  must  leave  the  stock 
out  in  the  open.  If  they  get  a  suggestion 
that  we  are  doubtful  of  them,  or  afraid  in 
the  least,  they  will  harass  us  for  days,  and 
some  one's  life  is  bound  to  pay  the  price. 
You  and  Red  stay  with  the  train,  and  watch 
the  off  side.  If  they  do  sneak  in,  then  shoot 
to  kill." 

We  camped  that  night  just  by  a  huge 
prairie-dog  town.  Acres  and  acres  of  the 
valley  were  upturned,  in  sandy  little  mounds. 
Needless  to  say,  the  men  slept  in  their 
wagons  that  night,  while  the  cattle  were 
taken  but  a  little  distance  away  to  a  meadow. 


INDIANS!  in 

We  had  an  early  supper,  and  then  built  a 
rousing  fire  and  kept  on  the  move  about  it 
all  the  evening,  so  that  it  would  be  a  bit 
difficult  for  an  observer  from  the  distance 
to  count  just  how  many  of  us  were  present 
and  how  many  were  off  on  guard  duty. 
Toleman  and  Hale,  heavily  armed,  went  out 
to  the  stock  and  prepared  for  their  night's 
vigil,  deciding  just  what  they  would  do  in 
case  of  surprise. 

"They  don't  want  to  fight,"  said  Cy. 
"They  know  now  that  we  are  well  armed, 
and  believe  that  we  have  a  'big  cannon'; 
but  what  they  do  want  is  our  stock  and  the 
horses.  If  they  bother  us  at  all,  they  will 
probably  try  to  stampede  the  stock  first. 
That's  the  safest  way  for  them.  If  that  does 
not  work,  they  will  try  to  steal  them  one 
at  a  time.  I've  divided  the  oxen  from  the 
cows,  and  I've  half  a  notion  to  let  them  get 
a  part  of  the  cows,  if  it  conies  to  that  or 
fight.  I'd  like  to  get  all  our  own  men  safely 
to  Colorado.  I  don't  want  to  shoot  unless 
I  have  to,  for  as  the  old  saying  goes,  'Discre 
tion  is  the  better  part  of  valor.'  If  we  start 
that  sort  of  a  thing,  we  will  have  to  fight  to 
a  finish,  and  it  will  be  costly  at  best. 


112       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

"If  they  try  to  stampede  our  cattle,  they 
will  do  it  by  driving  a  herd  of  their  loose 
ponies  by  our  stock  at  a  wild  gallop,  and 
then  follow  closely  after  them  with  their 
bloody  war  cry.  Such  a  game  often  works 
very  well,  especially  when  you  don't  know 
that  Indians  are  near  you.  The  very  next 
day,  after  having  driven  away  your  best 
stock,  they  will  often  come  back  to  your 
camp  to  be  fed  and  to  trade  with  you. 

"I'll  sleep  first.  Waken  me  instantly  if 
there  is  any  uneasiness  among  the  stock,  or 
if  you  hear  any  sort  of  an  unusual  sound. 
These  redmen  are  expert  at  imitating  the 
wolf,  and  in  that  way  often  get  very  close 
to  the  herd  before  being  discovered.  We 
must  watch  close." 

Hale  could  but  admire  the  man,  for  in  a 
moment  or  two,  even  in  the  very  face  of  im 
pending  danger,  Cy  was  peacefully  sleeping. 
Hale  was  lonely,  and  kept  his  every  sense 
alert  for  the  slightest  sound.  But  all  was 
still — oppressively  so.  All  that  he  could 
hear  was  the  oxen  chewing  their  cuds,  and 
the  occasional  little  cough  of  the  Captain's 
mule  that  grazed  nearby. 

After  two  or  three  hours'  sleep,  Cy  de- 


INDIANS!  113 

liberately  awoke,  rose  as  if  he  had  not  been 
asleep  at  all,  and  was  instantly  as  alert  as 
Hale  himself.  He  bade  the  boy  lie  down, 
which  he  did,  but  not  to  sleep,  as  he  had 
determined.  Finally  he  did  doze  off,  lulled 
to  sleep  by  the  petulant  chirp  of  the  crickets 
and  the  soft-scented  breeze  that  was  astir. 
It  seemed  he  had  slept  but  a  few  moments 
(in  reality  it  was  hours)  when  Cy  gently 
wakened  him  and  instantly  placed  his  hand 
over  the  boy's  mouth,  to  signal  silence.  Then 
he  whispered  in  his  ear : 

"They  are  yonder,  and  I  think  they  have 
brought  some  reenforcements.  At  any  rate, 
there  are  at  least  twenty  'wolves'  out  yonder. 
Some  of  the  oxen  on  the  off  side  have  lain 
down.  They  will  make  excellent  breast 
works  as  long  as  they  lie  still.  Don't  shoot 
till  you  hear  me  shoot,  unless  you  are  at 
tacked  and  must  protect  yourself.  They  are 
going  to  try  to  steal  first.  If  they  don't 
succeed,  they  will  try  the  stampede.  If  all 
they  want  is  a  few  cows,  we'll  let  them  have 
them,  for  we  can't  be  more  than  two  hundred 
miles  from  Denver  now,  and  we  can  trade 
oxen  for  cattle  there.  If  I  open  fire,  you 
begin  to  drive  a  few  oxen  toward  the 


II4       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

wagons,  and  keep  them  behind  you  to  guard 
against  a  rear  attack.  Take  care  not  to 
lose  sight  of  the  train,  or  you  are  gone." 

The  two  separated,  each  to  his  post,  and 
waited.  Hale  carefully  chose  his  steps,  and 
in  a  few  moments  was  making  his  way 
among  the  resting  oxen.  Suddenly  he 
stopped  short.  Something  was  moving 
among  the  oxen  just  to  his  left.  He  was 
certain  of  it.  Slowly  he  approached  it, 
pausing  every  now  and  then  to  see  if  he  was 
observed.  It  was  an  Indian,  he  was  certain 
of  that,  and  he  knew  full  well  that  much 
depended  on  his  wise  action  at  this  moment. 
He  was  surprised  how  calm  and  steady  he 
was.  Slowly,  noiselessly,  the  shadow  came 
nearer.  So  still  was  it  that  he  thought  his 
own  eyes  must  be  fooling  him,  and  then  his 
heart  suddenly  stood  still,  for  the  savage 
deliberately  raised  a  huge  bow  and  aimed  at 
him.  His  mind  traveled  far  and  fast  in  that 
second,  making  a  number  of  calculations  and 
figuring  out  a  number  of  plays.  He  recog 
nized,  subconsciously,  that  he  was  in  the 
same  state  of  mind  that  he  had  been  that 
day  of  the  big  game,  when  he  had  faced  the 
opposing  line,  realizing  that  the  whole  out- 


INDIANS!  115 

come  of  the  game  depended  on  his  action 
the  next  ten  seconds.  They  had  won  that 
day ;  would  he  win  to-night  ?  His  eyes  were 
riveted  on  the  end  of  the  big  bow  that 
showed  plainly  against  the  white  ox  in  the 
background.  There  was  a  twang — he  felt 
it  rather  than  heard  it — and  instinctively  he 
fell  flat,  just  as  the  wicked  arrow  whizzed 
by  his  head  and  lodged  in  the  rump  of  an 
ox  behind  him.  .  In  a  second  the  cattle  were 
astir.  He  raised  his  rifle,  took  hasty  aim, 
and  fired.  The  figure  dropped,  but  instantly 
there  was  another,  a  few  feet  to  one  side. 
He  shot  again,  rolled  over,  darted  under  the 
legs  of  the  old  ox  that  had  come  to  her  feet, 
and  waited  breathlessly. 

He  heard  Toleman  fire  a  half  dozen  times 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  herd.  The  cattle 
were  all  up  now,  and  blowing  softly  through 
their  great  nostrils,  as  if  sensing  the  excite 
ment.  Suddenly  there  broke  on  the  still  night 
air  the  war  cry  of  the  Utes.  He  knew  the 
whole  band  were  upon  them.  In  that  same 
instant  he  realized  that  if  the  stock  should 
run,  he  was  in  danger  of  being  trampled  to 
death  in  the  rush. 

Just  then  he  saw  two  savages  on  the  outer 


ii6       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

edge  of  the  herd  trying  to  cut  out  a  bunch 
of  the  stock.  He  shot.  There  was  a  pierc 
ing  cry;  one  dropped,  and  the  other  disap 
peared.  He  could  hear  shooting  at  the 
wagon  train  now,  and  knew  that  they  were 
also  killing  savages. 

Soon  the  cattle  began  to  move.  Hale  had 
just  a  moment  of  indecision — to  stay  was 
certain  death,  to  ride,  gave  him  a  fighting 
chance.  He  vaulted  to  the  back  of  the  big 
ox  next  him,  but  in  so  doing  lost  his  rifle. 
He  lay  low  on  the  back  of  the  big  beast  as 
she  broke  into  an  excited  run.  He  realized 
that  all  was  lost  unless  Cy  and  the  Captain 
could  divert  the  stampede  and  head  it  into 
the  spongy  ground  of  the  prairie-dog  town 
instead  of  onto  the  open  plains. 

For  the  next  few  moments  he  was  kept 
busy  and  alert,  keeping  his  hold,  for  the  oxen 
were  crowding  each  other  badly.  He  had 
the  sensation  of  traveling  in  a  circle,  and 
soon,  to  his  surprise,  caught  a  glimpse  of 
the  wagon  train  to  his  extreme  right,  when 
only  a  few  moments  before  he  was  positive 
it  had  been  on  his  left.  With  that  realiza 
tion  came  great  relief,  for  he  well  knew  that 
Toleman,  and  perhaps  his  uncle,  were  some- 


INDIANS!  117 

where  out  there,  making  desperate  efforts 
to  keep  the  stock  together  by  driving  them 
in  a  circle. 

He  tried  hard  to  guide  his  critter  to  the 
outside  of  the  herd  by  pulling  desperately  on 
the  left  horn,  but  progress  was  very  slow. 
It  seemed  hours  to  him  before  the  herd  be 
gan  to  slow  down  again,  and  then  he  heard 
voices  behind  him.  He  raised  his  revolver 
and  fired  one  shot,  for  that  was  all  he  could 
spare.  In  a  moment  Cy  was  at  his  side, 
peering  into  the  darkness. 

"Is  that  you,  boy?"  he  called. 

"Yes,"  replied  Hale.  "I'm  mounted  on 
an  ox  and  my  rifle  is  gone.  Where  are  the 
Indians?" 

"They  have  withdrawn  to  parley.  We 
surprised  them  and  got  at  least  a  half  dozen 
of  them.  It  will  be  daylight  in  thirty 
minutes,  and  then  we're  safe.  Keep  to  your 
mount,  and  shoot  anything  that  moves-  on 
the  plain.  If  the  stampede  gets  away,  keep 
to  the  edge  and  shoot  your  critter.  I'll  keep 
my  eye  on  you." 

When  daylight  came,  we  found  we  had 
lost  six  oxen,  the  Captain's  mule,  which  had 
been  shot  from  under  him,  and  one  Mis- 


ii8       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

sourian  had  a  nasty  arrow  in  his  ribs.  There 
was  not  a  sign  of  an  Indian  in  sight,  except 
two  dead  ones,  which  had  been  trampled 
pretty  badly  by  the  cattle.  They  were  prob 
ably  the  ones  that  Hale  had  shot.  We  had 
been  on  the  road  only  two  hours,  when  a 
band  of  Sioux  raced  into  our  camp,  inquir 
ing  if  we  had  seen  any  Utes.  Cy  told  them 
what  had  happened,  and  in  a  moment  they 
were  off  at  top  speed  to  find  the  invading 
Utes. 

"That's  the  end  of  at  least  that  band," 
said  Cy.  "Let's  hope  we'll  get  into  Denver 
without  another  such  night." 


CHAPTER  X 
GOLD  FOR  THE  DIGGING! 

THE  loss  of  our  oxen  that  had  been 
killed  and  stolen  by  the  Indians  handi 
capped  us  very  seriously,  for  we  were  com 
pelled  to  double  up  on  some  of  the  loads  and 
abandon  two  wagons.  But  on  the  whole 
we  felt  that  we  had  nothing  to  complain 
about,  for  we  had  gotten  off  miraculously 
with  our  lives.  From  that  day  on  the  un 
expected  was  always  happening  to  us.  We 
were  now  in  the  land  of  the  alkaline  deserts, 
sage  brush,  and  greasewood,  and  of  sad, 
bleak,  lonely  stretches.  The  alkali  was  very 
disagreeable,  and  there  were  such  quantities 
of  it.  Often  our  wagons  would  sink  into 
several  inches  of  the  white  dry  soda,  and 
the  irritating  dust  would  rise  about  us  in 
clouds,  causing  sore  eyes  and  infected 
throats,  to  man  and  beast  alike. 

Just  imagine  walking  nine  or  ten  miles 
a  day  through  such  country,  very  often  be 
ing  compelled  to  unhitch  and  trudge  back 
to  help  a  less  fortunate  load  out  of  a  soft 
119 


120       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

place,  and  then  set  guard  for  two  hours  the 
same  night  over  a  herd  of  broken  and  dis- 
spirited  cattle.  It  was  tiresome  to  the  ex 
treme,  for  every  man  had  to  himself  walk 
to  lighten  his  load. 

My  uncle  had  grown  ten  years  older,  and 
did  not  seem  half  so  alert  to  me  as  when  we 
started.  I  noticed  that  he  ate  very  little,  and 
that  every  morning  the  first  thing  he  would 
do  was  to  scan  the  Western  horizon  with 
his  glasses,  in  hopes  of  sighting  the  mighty 
Rockies;  but  morning  after  morning  he 
would  turn  away  more  disappointed  than 
ever.  The  common  camp  labor  became 
simply  intolerably  wearisome  to  the  men, 
and  many  of  the  ragged,  gaunt  drivers 
strolled  around  as  in  a  dream,  talking  to  no 
one  and  eating  but  little.  At  night  the  sky 
would  blacken,  the  lightning  race  across  the 
heavens,  and  the  thunder  roll  in  mighty 
crescendos,  just  as  if  we  were  about  to  have 
a  second  deluge,  but  no  water  came.  The 
men  slept  in  the  wagons,  because  it  looked 
so  stormy,  and  one  night  while  I  was  sleep 
ing  in  on  top  of  the  powder  the  lightning 
struck  the  tire  of  the  wagon  just  behind  me 
and  frightened  me  terribly.  It  had  never 


GOLD  FOR  THE  DIGGING      121 

occurred  to  any  of  us  up  to  that  time  what 
would  have  happened  to  our  train  if  the 
lightning  should  strike  that  powder  wagon. 
You  may  be  sure  that  after  that  the  powder 
wagon  was  drawn  well  to  one  side  at  night 
and  left  unoccupied.  Just  two  days  later  we 
came  upon  the  wretched  remains  of  a  wagon 
train,  that  plainly  told  of  a  terrific  explosion. 

"Struck  by  lightning!"  declared  Cy.  "We 
got  off  easy.  I  could  engineer  a  herd  of 
cattle  to  Alaska,  but  when  it  comes  to  a 
wagon  train,  well,  I'm  lost.  There's  too 
many  things  to  remember/' 

Finally  the  showers  came,  and,  to  say  the 
least,  they  were  refreshing.  Here  and  there 
pools  of  water  gathered  on  the  flats.  At 
first  the  cattle  drank  deep  and  often,  then,  to 
our  great  horror,  they  began  to  die,  until  in 
barely  three  days'  time  nearly  one  third  of 
our  remaining  number  were  sick  or  dead. 
What  remained  were  too  few  to  pull  the 
heavy  loads.  What  were  we  to  do?  We 
held  a  long  council  of  war,  and  finally  de 
cided  that  we  must  leave  six  loads  of  the 
heaviest  machinery  with  a  guard,  while  the 
rest  of  us  pushed  on  to  Denver.  Red  Wil 
liams  and  one  of  the  other  drivers  consented 


122        OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

to  stay  with  the  machinery  until  we  could 
send  for  them.  So  after  provisioning  them 
well  for  a  month,  and  selecting  as  good  a 
water  hole  as  we  could  find,  we  helped  them 
rig  a  temporary  camp ;  then  pushed  on,  leav 
ing  them  a  quantity  of  goods  to  trade  the 
Indians,  in  case  they  should  bother  again. 

Still  our  oxen  continued  to  die,  until  some 
days  we  thought  it  doubtful  if  any  of  us 
would  ever  really  see  Denver.  Bill  Sikes, 
who  had  not  been  at  all  well  for  weeks,  sud 
denly  got  the  idea  that  some  one  of  the 
drivers  was  poisoning  the  critters.  We  had 
a  driver  who  had  been  very  sullen  and  who, 
we  remembered,  had  sided  strongly  with 
Jake  and  Keats,  but  I  was  sure  he  was  inno 
cent  of  any  such  a  crime.  However,  Bill 
insisted  on  butchering  each  ox  as  it  died,  to 
examine  its  entrails.  He  found  the  entire 
inside  in  a  high  state  of  inflammation,  and 
declared  it  poison.  But  I  knew  full  well  it 
was  just  the  result  of  the  fearfully  strong 
alkali  water. 

One  morning,  a  week  later,  my  uncle 
called  us  all  from  our  bunks  in  great  excite 
ment,  and  pointed  to  the  Western  horizon, 
crying: 


GOLD  FOR  THE  DIGGING      123 

"It's  the  mountains,  boys !  It's  the  moun 
tains  !  Thank  God  for  them !" 

Toleman  was  first  to  take  the  glasses  from 
him,  and  after  gazing  for  a  full  minute,  he 
handed  them  to  me,  with  the  exclamation : 

"Jerusalem!  but  they  do  delight  my  soul. 
They  are  there  all  right — from  Long's  Peak 
on  the  north  to  Pike's  Peak  on  the  south. 
Boys,  we're  back  into  God's  country  again, 
and  we'll  soon  be  digging  nuggets  as  big 
as  roosters'  eggs  on  Easter.  Hurrah !" 

We  differed,  however,  as  to  whether  it 
was  really  the  mountains  we  saw  or  just  a 
bank  of  clouds,  but  Cy's  positive  position  on 
the  matter  put  backbone  into  every  one  of 
us,  and  at  the  campfire  that  evening  there 
was  real  rejoicing.  It  was  the  first  time  I 
had  seen  my  uncle  laugh  for  weeks,  and  it 
did  me  good  to  hear  him  once  again. 

"In  five  days  we  will  have  deer  meat," 
promised  Cy.  "And  in  ten  days  we'll  be  in 
paradise.  All  we  need  to  do  is  keep  a'going. 
Wish  old  Red  could  see  those  hills  once ;  but 
it  won't  be  long  now  till  we'll  be  going  back 
to  get  them." 

The  next  morning  the  mighty  mountains 
rose  cold  and  silent,  reaching  high  into  the 


124       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

purple  haze  ahead  of  us.  Some  of  them 
no  doubt  had  slept  there  since  the  world  be 
gan,  buried  under  their  canopies  of  snow. 
Two  hours  after  sunrise  Cy  rode  into  camp 
with  the  carcasses  of  two  fat  young  antelope. 
The  meat  was  a  great  treat  to  us  all,  and 
was  the  beginning  of  much  wild  game  that 
we  found  everywhere  plentiful.  That  eve 
ning  we  camped  on  the  picturesque  old  ruins 
of  Fort  Saint  Vrain,  in  the  shelter  of  its 
high,  thick  adobe  walls.  We  knew  full  well 
that  Denver  lay  just  beyond  in  the  rollirg 
hills,  and  we  rejoiced. 

Denver  was  at  that  time  a  typical  Western 
town  of  one-story  log  huts,  tents,  and  crude 
frame  buildings.  Everywhere  were  camped 
parties  like  our  own — tired,  worn,  and  many 
of  them  sick.  For  instance,  our  train  had 
shrunk  from  a  well-equipped,  prosperous- 
looking  caravan  to  eight  rickety,  very  much- 
the-worse  for-wear  wagons,  and  as  thin  and 
tired  a  lot  of  gaunt,  ragged  drivers  as  you 
will  ever  see  in  this  world. 

No  one  paid  the  slightest  bit  of  attention 
to  us,  for  every  one  was  too  busy  with  their 
own  affairs  to  care  anything  about  how  we 
had  fared.  I  saw  many  strange  sights  that 


GOLD  FOR  THE  DIGGING      125 

day,  that  I  won't  soon  forget.  For  instance, 
a  Chicago  banker  had  opened  a  bank  in  a 
ragged  tent.  A  baker  was  erecting  an  adobe 
oven  in  which  the  pies  and  cakes  for  the 
surrounding  camps  were  to  be  baked.  There 
was  a  blacksmith  shop  of  some  kind  on  every 
corner,  and  all  were  busy  at  repairs.  Of 
course  the  saloon  was  there  too ;  very  crude, 
to  be  sure — often  only  a  tent  with  a  keg  of 
"40  rod"  and  a  rough  plank  for  a  bar.  There 
were  general  outfitters'  tents,  containing 
everything  a  reasonable  man  might  ask  for, 
from  gold  pans,  picks,  and  overalls,  down 
to  chewing  tobacco,  bacon,  and  flour.  AH 
sorts  of  gambling  devices  were  run  wide 
open,  and  the  toughs  even  indulged  in  target 
practice  with  their  guns  right  in  the  open 
streets.  There  was  no  law,  there  were  no 
police.  But  such  things  were  soon  to  change. 
In  many  places  the  streets  were  full  of 
wagonloads  of  merchandise,  piles  of  mine 
machinery  and  tools,  and  dozens  of  different 
varieties  of  homemade  devices  to  aid  in  get 
ting  the  gold  from  the  rock. 

Many  people  were  preparing  to  leave  soon 
on  the  long  return  trip,  sick,  disgruntled,  and 
disillusioned.  Others  were  preparing  to  get 


126       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

right  into  the  mountains  which  lay  nearly 
twelve  miles  distant,  in  order  to  get  shelters 
up  and  ready  for  the  long  winter  months 
that  were  soon  to  be  upon  them. 

We  decided  to  rest  a  week,  and  then  to 
send  four  drivers  and  our  best  oxen  back 
on  the  plains  to  bring  in  the  machinery.  Of 
course  Toleman  was  to  have  charge  of  the 
expedition.  The  rest  of  us  were  to  start  for 
the  bottom  of  the  mountains,  making  two 
trips  to  bring  up  the  wagons  we  wanted, 
and  were  then  to  camp  and  await  the  arrival 
of  the  other  men  and  teams.  During  this 
rest  my  uncle  proposed  to  look  about  care 
fully  and  do  some  investigating  of  the  best 
country  in  which  to  make  our  initial  pros 
pects.  The  original  agreement  was  now  ful 
filled  with  all  of  the  drivers,  but  as  we  would 
have  to  have  men  for  some  months  to  come, 
and  as  the  prospect  was  not  nearly  so  golden 
for  them  to  work  on  their  own  hook  as  we 
had  all  supposed  it  was  going  to  be,  the  men 
for  the  most  part  were  anxious  to  stay  with 
us  at  a  reasonable  wage. 

The  route  to  the  gold  fields  lay  north  to 
Clear  Creek,  past  the  little  camp  of  Golden, 
the  life  of  which  had  apparently  been  short, 


GOLD  FOR  THE  DIGGING      127 

then  on  up  the  canon  to  Mountain  City. 
The  roads  in  places  were  quite  passable,  and 
there  was  any  number  of  grassy  meadows 
along  the  way,  any  of  which  offered  splendid 
places  to  camp.  We  finally  chose  a  spot  by 
the  side  of  a  delightful  stream,  and  prepared 
to  hunt,  fish,  and  rest,  and  get  into  shape 
for  the  heavy  work  that  lay  just  ahead.  The 
first  few  days  were  consumed  in  a  trip  back 
to  Denver  for  clothes,  needed  supplies,  and 
tools ;  the  next  few  in  making  wagon  repairs 
and  in  looking  over  numbers  of  prospects 
that  were  everywhere.  It  seemed  to  me  that 
every  gulch  was  populated  with  prospectors, 
most  of  whom  were  hard  at  work.  Some 
were  washing  placer  gold  in  the  stream  beds. 
Some  were  crushing  quartz  from  the  vari 
ous  small  outcrops  on  the  mountain  and 
treating  it  with  quicksilver.  Some  few  men, 
who  were  more  certain  of  their  prospects, 
had  already  started  more  elaborate  diggings, 
either  in  the  form  of  tunnels  in  the  moun 
tainsides,  or  as  shafts  operated  with  crude 
windlass  and  homemade  buckets.  Others 
seemed  to  be  dragging  all  the  top  dirt  down 
to  the  stream  and  washing  it  in  the  long 
sluices  through  which  the  water  ran.  These 


128       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

sluices  had  cleats  nailed  across  them  every 
few  inches,  the  tiny  obstructions  serving  to 
catch  the  bits  of  gold  which,  being  much 
heavier  than  the  gravel,  settled  to  the  bottom. 
The  force  of  the  water  carried  the  larger  dirt 
away,  and  at  night,  or  more  often  if  occasion 
demanded  it,  this  precious  sediment  was 
carefully  removed  from  the  cleats  and 
panned  out  by  hand. 

I  remember  we  found  one  outfit  of  Georgia 
miners  actually  engaged  in  feverishly  pan 
ning  a  prairie-dog  town.  It  was  so  very 
ridiculous  that  we  all  laughed,  but  when  the 
excited  miners  noted  how  skeptical  we  were 
of  any  results  coming  from  such  land,  they 
proudly  produced  each  man  his  long  buck 
skin  sack  and  tipped  into  the  palm  of  his 
hand  a  little  heap  of  the  yellow  dust.  It  was 
here  I  saw  my  first  real  native  gold.  Then 
the  gold  fever  rushed  over  me,  leaving  me 
bewildered.  I  could  hardly  realize  it. 

"Gold!  Gold!"  I  cried  aloud.  "Gold  for 
the  digging!"  Instantly  I  was  possessed 
with  a  consuming  eagerness  to  be  at  work, 
to  get  hold  of  a  long  buckskin  pouch  and  to 
fill  it  to  the  brim  with  the  yellow,  glittering 
stuff.  I  could  already  imagine  with  what 


GOLD  FOR  THE  DIGGING      129 

pride  I  would  produce  my  buckskin  and  dis 
play  its  contents  to  every  eager  inquirer. 

My  uncle  suggested  after  a  few  days  that 
Hale  and  I  take  our  blankets,  a  few  pro 
visions,  and  spend  the  balance  of  our  time 
roaming  over  the  hills  into  the  out-of-the- 
way  gulches  to  see  what  we  could  see  and 
learn  about  the  mining  game,  before  our 
machinery  should  arrive.  We  were  glad  of 
this  opportunity,  so  set  off  early  the  next 
morning  with  no  particular  destination,  but 
to  just  find  out  all  we  could. 

It  was  interesting  to  meet  the  different 
kinds  of  men  and  to  chat  with  them,  for 
there  were  business  men  from  every  State 
in  the  Union:  manufacturers,  tradesmen, 
farmers,  adventurers,  and  thugs,  all  work 
ing  side  by  side,  all  clothed  pretty  much  alike, 
in  broad-brimmed  hats,  blue  flannel  shirts, 
corduroy  pants,  and  high-topped  boots. 
Every  individual  to  a  man  was  digging  as 
if  his  life  depended  upon  it.  Most  of  them 
seemed  to  be  hopeful,  and  were  digging  just 
enough  small  nuggets  and  gold  dust  to  keep 
their  hopes  high.  Every  man,  we  were  told, 
worked  away  as  long  as  he  had  any  grub, 
or  powder,  or  money  to  get  more.  When 


130       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

he  was  "broke,"  he  sold  his  labor  to  ac 
cumulate  more  grub;  and  so  the  game 
went  on. 

In  one  little  gulch  we  came  upon  an  old 
fellow  that  seemed  to  be  alone,  but  he  was 
happy  and  friendly.  We  watched  him  work 
his  pan  for  a  long  while,  and  finally  he 
paused  to  chat  with  us.  He  must  have 
realized  we  were  tenderfeet,  from  our  ques 
tions.  But  anyway,  just  before  we  started 
away,  he  shoved  his  hand  into  his  pocket  and 
pulled  out  a  nugget  as  large  as  a  big  bean, 
and  solemnly  handed  it  to  Hale. 

"Take  it,  my  boy.  It  will  bring  you  good 
luck.  It  has  me.  And  now  I  dig  'em  up  like 
it  every  day.  When  you  strike  it  rich,  pass 
it  on  to  some  other  lad.  The  gods  have 
smiled  on  it.  It's  a  charm." 

Hale  thanked  him,  and  put  it  in  his  pocket, 
saying,  "I'll  do  it,  sir,  and  that  right  soon, 
I'm  sure.  Gold  for  the  digging!  I  knew  it 
was  so,  yet  I  didn't  believe  it." 


CHAPTER  XI 
A  MOUNTAIN  TRAGEDY 

OUR  few  days'  wanderings  over  the  hills 
and  gulches  proved  to  be  very  valuable 
to  us  long  before  the  winter  was  over,  for 
it  gave  us  an  entirely  new  idea  of  things, 
and  showed  us  at  first  hand  exactly  what 
sort  of  men  and  conditions  we  must  associate 
ourselves  with.  I  have  often  thought,  how 
ever,  how  different  our  whole  first  year  in 
the  gold  fields  might  have  turned  out  if  it 
had  not  been  for  our  last  day  of  sight-seeing 
and  for  the  unfortunate  incident  that  I  am 
just  about  to  relate,  for  it  seemed  that  every 
event  of  any  consequence  from  that  time  on 
referred  back  to  that  day's  experience  in 
a  most  intimate  way. 

It  happened  like  this:  we  had  seen  about 
all  there  was  to  see,  and,  boylike,  of  course 
believed  that  we  had  learned  all  there  was 
to  learn  about  the  mining  game.  So,  after 
six  days  of  knocking  about,  we  decided  that 
the  next  day  we  would  start  for  our  camp 
and  urge  my  uncle  to  hasten  into  the  hills 


132       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

and  get  settled.  We  were  just  looking  about 
for  a  suitable  spot  for  our  night's  camp, 
having  passed  the  last  prospect,  as  we  sup 
posed.  We  were  tramping  far  back  in  a 
deep  gulch,  through  which  ran  a  singing 
brook,  when  we  came  upon  a  crude  new  trail. 
Instinctively  we  were  anxious  to  see  where 
it  could  possibly  lead  to,  so  began  to  follow 
it  up.  It  ended  abruptly  in  a  thick  clump 
of  bushes.  We  were  much  surprised,  and 
as  we  stood  wondering  where  it  began  again, 
we  heard  voices  from  somewhere  just  ahead. 
I  presume  it  was  the  unmistakable  tone  of 
anger  in  them  that  caused  us  both  to  stop 
short  and  look  at  each  other.  Evidently 
there  was  a  quarrel  going  on  over  some  new 
discovery.  We  advanced  very  cautiously 
through  the  thick  bushes,  every  step  bring 
ing  us  nearer  to  the  angry  miners,  yet  we 
could  see  absolutely  nothing  of  them,  be 
cause  of  the  trees.  I  was  especially  attracted 
by  the  loud  bullying  voice  of  one  of  the  men, 
and  turning  quickly  to  Hale,  who  was  also 
intently  listening,  I  whispered: 

"Hale,  I'd  bet  my  last  dollar  that  was  Jake 
Henderson,  if  I  didn't  know  for  a  certainty 
that  he  was  somewhere  back  in  Kansas." 


A  MOUNTAIN  TRAGEDY       133 

"Jake!"  he  said  in  surprise.  "Clayt,  it 
sounds  just  like  him.  I  wonder " 

I  cautioned  him  to  silence,  and  we  stealthily 
worked  our  way  up  stream  to  where  we 
could  better  see  the  men.  First  we  came 
to  a  crude  cabin,  that  was  evidently  very 
new.  It  stood  just  at  the  edge  of  a  small 
clearing,  and  directly  in  front  of  it,  on  the 
sandy  bank,  stood  an  ingenious  set  of  home 
made  sluices.  There  was  a  quantity  of  fresh 
dirt  piled  to  one  side  of  them,  and  there  stood 
two  prospectors,  facing  each  other,  one  with 
a  shovel  in  his  hand.  Both  men  were  savage 
with  rage.  The  one  was  our  friend  Keats, 
of  wagon  Number  Six,  and  the  other,  a 
little  weazened-up  man,  with  a  very  leathery 
face,  a  pair  of  tiny  bright  eyes  and  an  ex 
cellent  growth  of  dirty  whiskers.  We  could 
hardly  believe  our  eyes;  but  it  was  Jake 
Henderson,  beyond  a  doubt.  We  crouched 
low,  not  knowing  just  what  was  best  for 
us  to  do. 

"That  nugget  is  mine!"  cried  Jake,  curs 
ing  Keats  roundly.  "You  agreed  yourself 
that  all  gold  from  the  sluices,  nuggets,  dust 
and  all,  should  be  mine  for  the  first  two 
weeks,  to  pay  for  my  building  the  sluices. 


134       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

If  it  hadn't  been  for  me,  you  wouldn't  have 
had  any  sluices  at  all,  and " 

"True/5  cried  Keats,  "but  this  nugget 
never  reached  the  sluice,  I  tell  you.  I  picked 
it  from  the  shovel  before  it  was  emptied,  and 
you  can't  claim  it." 

"But  I  have  it  already/'  jeered  Jake, 
in  his  savage  way,  "and  I'm  going  to  keep 
it.  You'll  play  fair,  or  I'll " 

"I'll  have  it  back,  or  your  head,"  roared 
Keats,  fairly  trembling.  "I  don't  propose 
to  have  a  crook  like  you,  forever  telling  me 
what  I  can  and  what  I  can't  have.  I'll " 

"Get  it  if  you  can !"  roared  Jake,  shaking 
his  fist  in  Keats's  face.  This  was  too  much 
for  the  Missourian  teamster.  He  sprang 
forward.  Out  flashed  Jake's  gun,  but  in 
backing  away  a  step  he  tripped  over  the 
shovel  that  lay  at  his  feet  and  half  fell.  The 
Missourian  had  him  by  the  throat  now,  and 
bore  him  to  the  ground,  where  he  held  him 
fast.  Placing  his  knee  across  Jake's  chest 
and  one  arm,  he  deftly  reached  into  the 
pocket  and  quickly  removed  the  big  nugget; 
then,  after  wrenching  the  gun  from  Jake's 
extended  hand,  he  let  the  now  furious  little 
man  rise,  turning  disgustedly  away  toward 


A  MOUNTAIN  TRAGEDY       135 

the  cabin.  We  were  about  to  retreat,  re 
joicing  over  Jake's  thrashing,  when  in  a 
flash  Jake  was  on  his  feet.  Two  catlike 
springs,  and  he  was  at  the  back  of  the  re 
treating  miner.  Suddenly  he  snatched  the 
big  gun  from  the  Missourian's  belt,  and  with 
a  snarl  like  a  wild  cat,  cried : 

'Til  kill  you  for  that,  Keats !" 

Twice  the  big  gun  spoke,  and  the  miner 
fell  forward  on  his  face,  a  dead  man.  It  all 
happened  before  I  could  think,  for  I  was  too 
dazed  by  what  I  had  seen  to  act,  or  I  would 
have  done  my  best  to  have  kept  Hale  silent. 
But  I  was  too  slow. 

"You  yellow  hound!"  cried  my  brother, 
leaping  out  of  the  bushes.  "Hands  up, 
quick !  or  I'll  add  you  to  this  tragedy." 

Jake  turned  to  gaze  into  the  steady  barrel 
of  Hale's  pistol,  and  then  in  a  cooler  tone, 
that  struck  me  as  very  odd  from  him,  excited 
as  we  were,  he  added : 

"I  have  a  good  mind  to  shoot  you  anyway, 
Jake.  Any  cur  that  will  deliberately  shoot 
a  man  in  the  back  like  that,  without  even 
giving  him  a  word  of  warning,  let  alone  a 
chance  to  fight,  deserves  to  die." 

"Don't  shoot,"  begged  Jake.    "It  was  in 


136       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

self-defense.  The  blackguard  has  been  try 
ing  to  rob  me  for  a  week.  This  is  the  second 
time.  He  was  a " 

"Close  your  trap!"  snapped  Hale.  "I 
heard  and  saw  the  whole  miserable  business, 
and  you  are  a  plain  murderer." 

Then  turning  to  me,  a  slight  tremor  in  his 
voice,  he  said: 

"Clayton,  I'm  so  sorry.  Now  we  are  in 
a  mess.  I  couldn't  help  it.  But  now  that 
we're  in,  what  shall  we  do?  I  don't  want 
this  yellow  dog  on  our  hands  all  night,  and 
if  we  let  him  go  our  lives  won't  either  of 
them  be  worth  a  cent,  for  if  he  had  half  a 
chance  he'd  do  us  both  just  as  he  did  poor 
Keats." 

I  calmed  him  down  a  bit,  and  after  a  little 
talk  we  decided  to  bind  Jake's  hands  and 
take  him  down  the  trail  with  us.  There 
seemed  nothing  else  to  do.  Hale  did  the 
tying,  while  I  covered  the  rascal  with  both 
our  guns,  telling  him  that  if  he  made  any 
effort,  no  matter  how  slight,  to  break  for 
freedom,  or  that  if  he  so  much  as  opened 
his  mouth,  I  would  shoot  him  where  he 
stood.  Jake  obeyed  orders  carefully,  with 
out  further  parley,  yet  I  knew  full  well  that 


A  MOUNTAIN  TRAGEDY       137 

even  in  that  moment  his  clever  brains  were 
working  to  find  a  way  out  for  himself. 

When  we  found  a  suitable  camp  spot,  we 
bound  Jake  securely  to  a  tree,  gagged  him 
so  he  could  not  call,  and  prepared  our  simple 
meal.  However,  Hale  refused  to  feed  Jake, 
and  simply  allowed  him  a  drink.  We  sat  by 
our  fire  a  long  time,  and  talked  the  matter 
over,  with  the  result  that  we  decided  to  take 
turns  during  the  night  guarding  our  pris 
oner,  and  in  the  morning  I  was  to  return 
to  camp  and  consult  my  uncle  as  to  what 
was  the  wisest  thing  to  do  under  the  circum 
stances. 

We  were  both  very  tired  from  our  strenu 
ous  days  over  the  hills,  and  found  it  difficult 
to  keep  our  eyes  open,  even  to  keep  watch 
of  a  desperate  criminal.  It  was  about  mid 
night,  while  I  was  on  watch,  that  Jake  made 
vigorous  signs  of  wanting  to  talk.  I  care 
fully  removed  the  gag  and  let  him  have  his 
way.  He  was  as  meek  as  a  lamb,  and  pleaded 
for  mercy,  winding  up  with  a  crafty  proposi 
tion  for  me  to  free  him  for  a  cash  consider 
ation.  He  wanted  me  to  untie  him,  and  tell 
Hale  that  he  had  escaped  while  I  slept.  Or, 
if  that  was  not  agreeable,  he  was  willing  to 


138       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

buy  his  freedom,  offering  us  his  cabin,  placer 
claim,  and  two  thousand  dollars  in  gold  coin 
to  boot,  explaining  that,  after  all,  the  affair 
was  none  of  ours,  that  Keats  was  our  sworn 
enemy  for  leaving  him  drunk  at  the  Fort, 
and  that,  besides,  it  would  be  very  unpleas 
ant  and  expensive  for  us  to  attempt  to  prose 
cute  him  in  a  country  where  there  was  no 
law  save  national  law. 

The  audacity  of  his  scheme  amused  me, 
but,  of  course,  I  refused  to  even  consider  it. 
When  he  finally  saw  that  it  was  no  use  what 
ever  for  him  to  talk,  he  became  abusive,  and 
swore  everlasting  vengeance  on  our  heads 
if  he  ever  got  out  of  this  scrape.  I  could  not 
but  earnestly  wish  that  Hale  had  kept  out 
of  the  mess,  although  my  disgust  was  en 
tirely  neutralized  by  my  admiration  for 
Male's  love  of  fair  play.  The  rest  of  that 
long  night  I  spent  in  entertaining  visions 
of  the  unscrupulous  outlaw  harassing  us  in 
the  mountains,  and  perhaps  even  taking 
vengeance  on  my  uncle's  person  for  our  rash 
act. 

At  daylight  I  set  out  for  our  outfit,  and 
by  hard  marching  reached  it  just  at  dusk. 
I  found  my  uncle  giving  orders  for  a  move 


A  MOUNTAIN  TRAGEDY       139 

forward  the  next  day.  He  had  just  returned 
from  Denver,  and  found  Toleman,  who  had 
ridden  on  a  bit  ahead  of  the  wagon  train  to 
say  that  all  was  well.  Together  they  had 
sold  a  part  of  the  oxen,  and  made  arrange 
ments  to  store  the  six  loads  of  heavy  ma 
chinery  in  Denver  until  we  should  get 
located.  They  had  purchased  a  stout  team 
of  mules,  a  supply  of  cabin  hardware,  a  light 
wagon,  and  had  then  pushed  on  to  camp, 
expecting  to  be  joined  by  the  drivers  there 
the  next  morning.  Cy  and  my  uncle  listened 
to  my  story  to  the  end,  but  both  were  too 
surprised  to  talk. 

"Plucky  little  rooster,"  said  my  uncle, 
finally.  "I  admire  the  boy  for  his  stand,  but 
it  was  most  unfortunate  for  us  just  at  this 
time."  He  thought  deeply  a  few  moments, 
and  then  put  the  same  question  that  had  been 
running  through  my  head  all  the  day :  "How 
did  those  two  get  here  so  quickly  from  the 
Fort?  They  didn't  walk." 

"Easy  enough,"  said  Cy.  "You  say  he 
offered  you  two  thousand  dollars  in  gold 
to  release  him?" 

I  nodded. 

"It's  dead  plain,"  cried  Cy,  with  a  tone  of 


140       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

final  settlement.  "They  are  the  men  who 
held  up  and  robbed  the  government  pay 
train  five  miles  from  the  Fort,  and  escaped 
on  horseback.  I  learned  in  Denver  that  they 
found  the  horses  there,  but  could  get  no 
trace  whatever  of  the  men  who  rode  them 
in.  You  see,  all  new  arrivals  in  Denver 
make  for  the  gold  camps  so  quickly,  and 
then  scatter  in  the  timber,  that  it's  next  thing 
to  impossible  to  find  anybody.  Of  course 
they  sent  on  a  United  States  marshal  to 
work  on  the  case,  but  he  has  no  clue.  Jeru 
salem!  who'd  'a  thunk  it!  Jake  and  Keats 
in  Colorado,  and  ahead  of  us !  And  to  boot, 
one  of  Jem  even  beat  us  to  the  Happy  Huntin' 
Ground/' 

"Well,  then,"  I  said,  more  surprised  than 
ever,  "if  those  are  the  facts,  we  better  turn 
him  directly  over  to  the  marshal,  hadn't  we, 
and  be  through  with  it?" 

"Not  by  a  jug  full!"  laughed  Cy.  "That 
would  never  do  just  now,  for  if  you  do,  you 
two  will  have  to  go  back  to  the  Fort  to  tell 
what  you  know.  That  means  weeks  of  delay, 
and  winter  coming  on  soon." 

"You  are  right,  Cy,"  said  my  uncle, 
thoughtfully.  "Of  course  in  a  settled  com- 


A  MOUNTAIN  TRAGEDY       141 

munity  no  man  should  shirk  any  duty  that 
the  law  imposes  upon  him,  but  in  this  coun 
try  it's  different.  I  think  I  better  write  the 
marshal  a  letter  and  tell  him  the  facts  rela 
tive  to  our  relations  to  Jake,  and  explain  why 
we  don't  wish  to  divulge  our  names.  I'll 
add  that  he  will  find  his  man  bound  in  that 
cabin,  and  that  doubtless  the  bulk  of  the 
government  money  is  there  also.  Jake 
would  not  starve  in  three  days,  and  by  that 
time  we  too  will  be  lost  in  the  hills  of  Moun 
tain  City.  What  do  you  say?" 

The  plan  seemed  a  good  one  to  us  all.  We 
were  to  move  on  into  the  mountains  at  day 
break,  while  Cy  rode  back  to  the  town  with 
the  letter  and  to  bring  on  the  rest  of  the 
drivers.  I  was  to  set  out  early  for  Jake's 
camp,  help  Hale  secure  the  culprit  in  his 
own  cabin,  and  then  join  our  train  on  the 
trail  that  evening. 

I  found  Hale  standing  guard  over  the 
wretched  Jake  when  I  arrived,  and  taking 
him  to  one  side  I  told  him  of  our  uncle's 
decision  in  the  matter.  Hale  felt  it  was 
taking  a  pretty  big  chance  to  leave  him,  but 
finally  agreed,  and  in  an  hour  we  had  him 
back  to  his  own  shanty  and  securely  bound, 


142       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

making  him  as  comfortable  as  possible.  We 
carried  in  the  dead  body  of  Keats,  as  evi 
dence,  and  after  listening  to  one  more  plead 
ing  argument,  we  pulled  the  door  shut  and 
hit  the  trail,  happy  to  be  done  with  the  whole 
matter.  We  had  marched  fully  a  mile,  when 
Hale  suddenly  stopped  short,  with  an  excla 
mation  : 

"We  have  got  to  go  back  again,  Clayt. 
We  were  in  too  big  a  hurry,  and  we  have 
made  a  big  mistake." 

I  looked  questioningly  at  him. 

"You  see,"  he  went  on,  "Jake  will  in 
criminate  us  in  that  murder.  No  doubt  he 
has  a  plausible  tale  all  worked  out  now  of 
just  how  he  and  his  pal  were  robbed  and 
one  of  them  murdered,  while  protecting  their 
claim  from  claimjumpers.  Of  course  it  will 
be  all  right  if  no  one  visits  that  cabin  until 
the  marshal  arrives,  but  some  one  is  liable 
to  come  along  most  any  time.  That  is  the 
chance  I  don't  like  to  run.  Of  course  uncle 
Herman  has  explained  our  real  situation  to 
the  authorities,  but  just  suppose  some  pros 
pector  drops  in  ahead  of  the  marshal,  and 
Jake  makes  a  case.  Then  we'll  all  be  in  for 
trouble." 


A  MOUNTAIN  TRAGEDY      143 

I  saw  his  point  at  once,  and  asked  what 
he  proposed  to  do  about  it,  for  we  couldn't 
take  Jake  with  us. 

"We  must  go  back,  carry  Keats's  body 
away  and  hide  it  where  Jake  can't  find  it — 
perhaps  bury  it,  if  we  have  time — and  then 
lock  Jake  in.  I  noticed  an  open  lock  hanging 
on  the  door  as  we  left.  You  see,  a  passerby, 
seeing  the  shack  locked,  would  never  think 
,to  force  an  entrance;  but  the  marshal  has 
definite  word  that  Jake  is  there,  and  if  he 
has  any  gumption  at  all,  he  will  not  be  con 
tent  until  he  sees  the  inside.  The  lock 
wouldn't  keep  him  out  at  all." 

With  real  regret  that  we  had  ever  known 
or  seen  Jake  Henderson,  we  again  trudged 
back  up  the  valley  and  finished  our  job. 

"If  the  marshal  doesn't  find  that  cabin, 
Jake  will  starve  to  death,  that's  all,"  I  said, 
when  we  were  once  more  on  the  trail. 

"I've  thought  of  that,"  said  Hale.  "But 
it  isn't  likely,  for  if  other  prospectors  find 
that  shack  locked  for  a  day  or  two  they  will 
take  it  for  granted  that  the  prospector  has 
left  it,  and  they  will  force  it,  in  hopes  of 
finding  provisions.  They  are  more  valuable 
in  these  parts  than  gold,  I  guess.  If  that 


144       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

should  happen,  Clayt,"  he  said  very  bitterly, 
''then  I  predict  we  shall  see  Jake  Henderson 
again ;  and  God  help  us  if  he  sees  us  first." 

We  walked  far  into  the  night  before  we 
came  onto  our  party,  and  then  probably 
would  have  passed  them  by  in  the  dark  if 
Cy  hadn't  been  on  a  close  lookout  for  us,  for 
he  had  not  gone  back  to  Denver,  as  had  been 
planned,  but  had  sent  the  note  by  a  passerby ; 
for  which  we  were  afterward  sorry,  for  evi 
dently  it  did  not  reach  the  desired  party. 

"Jerusalem!  but  I'm  glad  to  see  you, 
pard,"  he  said  to  Hale,  grasping  his  hand. 
"I  missed  you  on  that  little  journey  after  the 
machinery.  What  is  all  this  I  hear  about 
you  and  Jake  staking  out  a  claim  together 
over  in  Widow  Gulch  and  then  staying  up 
nights  with  that  old  codger  to  talk  matters 
over?" 

"Wish  you  had  been  along,  Cy/'  said 
Hale,  "we  would  have  done  the  job  different, 
I'm  sure.  But  I  didn't  know  what  was  best. 
I'm  so  blamed  sorry  I  didn't  keep  still.  But 
I  didn't,  and  so  there  you  are.  Yd  feel  a 
lot  better  if  I  knew  the  marshal  had  Jake  in 
tow  and  was  hurrying  him  back  to  Fort 
Kearney.  Tell  me  all  about  the  robbery.  I 


A  MOUNTAIN  TRAGEDY       145 

believe  that's  the  end  of  Jake,  so  far  as  we're 
concerned  anyway." 

Toleman  laughed  as  he  guided  us  into  the 
camp.  "It  may  be,  pard.  It  may  be.  But 
I'm  powerfully  scared  it  ain't,  for  a  cat  has 
nine  lives  at  least ;  and  if  my  natural  history 
serves  me  correct,  a  skunk  is  a  polecat.  We'll 
see  Jake  Henderson  again,  marshal  or  no 
marshal,  and  then,  lad,  don't  forget  that 
derringer,  'cause  there  is  bound  to  be  a 
shooting." 


CHAPTER  XII 

INTO  THE  GOLD  COUNTRY  AT 
LAST 

1WELL  remember  how  disappointed  I 
was  in  my  first  view  of  Mountain  City. 
I  had  expected  to  find  it  a  regular  beehive 
of  busy  miners;  to  see  buildings  going  up; 
to  find  great  piles  of  merchandise  stacked 
about  in  the  streets,  and  many  other  such 
signs  of  progress.  I  had  read  so  much  of 
"a  city  built  in  a  night  in  the  heart  of  a 
wilderness"  that  my  expectations  were  large. 
To  my  surprise,  every  man,  save  a  few 
loafers,  was  away  in  some  nearby  gulch  or 
ravine,  digging  gold.  I  was  told  that  many 
of  them  hardly  stopped  work  long  enough 
to  eat  a  meal,  let  alone  long  enough  to  build 
shanties  and  stores.  There  were  in  all  but 
a  few  poor  log  huts,  and  probably  a  hundred 
tents,  many  of  them  very  much  the  worse 
for  wear.  There  were  numerous  makeshift 
saloons,  of  course,  and  a  general  store  or 
two.  I  was  informed  that  they  had  not 
146 


GOLD  COUNTRY  AT  LAST     147 

struck  it  rich  enough  as  yet  to  make  a  real 
town  profitable. 

"Just  you  let  a  miner  turn  up  a  bushel  or 
two  of  nuggets,  or  find  a  big  vein  of  'free 
gold/  and  then  you  will  see  what  happens," 
an  old  prospector  told  me ;  and  I  only  hoped 
that  I  might  have  that  good  fortune  to  see 
just  such  things  happen. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  exact  spot  being 
prospected  was  not  more  than  ten  miles  in 
extent.  Several  small  stamp  mills  were  up 
and  already  at  work,  crushing  the  lowgrade 
quartz  from  the  many  lode  claims.  As  most 
of  these  mills  were  near  the  encampment 
itself,  we  decided,  after  looking  about  a  bit 
among  the  miners,  to  move  on  up  into  the 
valley  as  far  as  Gregory  Gulch  and  erect  our 
mill  near  the  Bobtail  claim,  which  was  at 
that  time  producing  what  appeared  to  be 
very  rich  ore.  We  were  informed  by  the 
excited  miners  at  the  Bobtail  that  they  were 
just  working  a  "cap  rock,"  and  that  when 
it  was  once  penetrated  there  wasn't  a 
shadow  of  a  doubt  but  that  they  had  a 
bonanza. 

Leavenworth  Gulch  opened  into  Gregory, 
and  as  many  especially  good  prospects  were 


148       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

being  turned  up  there  every  day,  my  uncle 
and  Cy  decided  that  that  was  the  place  for 
us  to  erect  our  mill.  Furthermore,  just  above 
the  chosen  spot  the  miners  from  farther 
down  the  valley  had  dug  a  crude  ditch  to 
conduct  water  to  their  camp.  We  were  sure 
this  ditch  would  supply  us  all  the  necessary 
water,  not  only  for  our  mill  but  for  our 
cabin.  The  miners  in  both  gulches  wel 
comed  us,  and  promised  us  quantities  of 
high-grade  in  the  very  near  future.  We 
were  very  enthusiastic  over  the  outlook,  and 
bent  every  energy  to  get  into  operation,  for 
we  were  sadly  in  need  of  funds. 

Leavenworth  Gulch  was  crossed  by  dozens 
of  veins  of  gold-bearing  quartz,  so,  of  course, 
was  staked  with  claims  from  one  end  of  the 
valley  to  the  other.  In  this  district  the  dis 
coverer  of  a  vein  was  entitled  to  stake  a 
claim  two  hundred  feet  square,  while  others 
could  only  claim  one  hundred  feet  square, 
so  long  as  they  did  an  assessment  on  it  in 
sixty  days.  This  consisted  of  one  hundred 
dollars'  worth  of  any  sort  of  improvements, 
or  a  hole  of  one  thousand  cubic  feet.  Just 
as  soon  as  we  could  get  away,  every  man 
of  us  began  staking  claims  and  digging 


GOLD  COUNTRY  AT  LAST     149 

assessments  on  every  outcrop  we  could  find 
in  the  vicinity. 

"What's  all  the  big  hurry?"  asked  Tole- 
man  the  next  morning.  "It  can't  get  away 
from  us  now.  Let's  think  a  bit.  You  fel 
lows  remind  me  of  a  bunch  of  hungry  hogs 
rooting  for  a  dead  fish.  Why,  I've  been 
on  the  everlasting  jump  night  and  day  for 
eighty  days,  sleeping,  when  at  all,  with  one 
eye  open  and  my  ear  to  the  ground.  Now, 
I  move  we  be  sensible  about  this  game. 
From  the  way  I  froze  last  night  'twon't  be 
very  long  till  snow  flies  in  this  valley,  and 
then  what?  Sleep  on  a  pile  of  boughs,  with 
the  cold,  gray  sky  for  a  canvas?  Not  for  a 
skinny  second!  Besides,  you  must  remem 
ber,  gents,  that  it  will  take  at  least  another 
two  weeks  to  get  our  machinery  and  pro 
visions  pulled  in  here  from  Denver. 

"Why,  just  think  of  drawing  that  stuff 
into  this  gulch.  Six  team  of  prize  oxen  can't 
bring  in  more  than  half  a  load  at  a  time. 
And  look  at  our  critters !  We  have  to  stand 
them  all  up  in  a  row  now  to  make  a  shadow. 
Now  I  suggest,  Captain,  that  you  divide  us 
into  two  gangs  at  once;  one  bunch  to  build 
a  good  substantial  cabin  in  which  we  can 


150       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

winter,  and  the  other  gang  to  bring  in  the 
supplies  and  machinery.  If  one  job  gets  too 
tarnal  tiresome  for  any  one,  we'll  trade  off. 
I'll  take  Hale,  here,  and  four  teamsters  for 
my  gang;  you  take  Red  and  the  rest,  and 
let's  get  busy  improving  this  wilderness 
estate  before  we  dig  gold.  Is  it  a  go?" 

We  all  heartily  agreed. 

"And  what's  more,  I  move  again,  Mr. 
Captain,  that  we  all  knock  off  a  day  or  two 
to  rest  and  look  around  a  bit.  Let's  get  out 
among  these  ground-hogs  and  get  ac 
quainted.  Let's  do  a  little  advertising,  and 
tell  these  gold-grubbers  about  our  mill.  Tell 
'em  it  fairly  eats  gold  quartz  and  is  guaran 
teed  to  turn  out  gold  bricks  whether  there 
is  any  gold  in  the  ore  or  not." 

We  saw  the  wisdom  of  Cy's  remarks,  and 
set  about  at  once  to  make  a  temporary  shel 
ter,  and  to  knock  together  a  pole  corral,  so 
that  our  few  animals  would  not  stray  too 
far.  The  next  day  the  men  set  off,  mostly 
in  pairs,  to  wander  about  the  mines,  each 
man  equipped  with  a  shovel  of  his  own,  to 
do  a  little  prospecting  in  case  he  found  any 
indications.  Long  before  the  second  night, 
a  number  of  the  men  had  "struck  it,"  as  they 


GOLD  COUNTRY  AT  LAST     151 

supposed,  and  only  came  back  to  our  camp 
long  enough  to  draw  their  pay  and  to  get 
their  simple  duffle.  Each  man  brought  back 
with  him  samples  of  the  wonderful  ore  that 
he  had  discovered,  of  course,  just  by  a  streak 
of  unprecedented  luck. 

This  exodus  of  men  from  our  camp 
bothered  my  uncle  greatly,  for  he  well  knew 
it  would  take  quantities  of  labor  to  erect  our 
mill  and  get  our  machinery  into  the  hills. 
So  he  went  hastily  to  Cy,  to  see  what  could 
be  done  about  it.  That  steel-hardened  plains 
man,  who  was  never  dismayed  at  anything, 
just  laughed,  and  said : 

"Cap,  I  had  no  idea  my  little  scheme 
would  work  so  well  when  I  suggested  that 
holiday.  Let  'em  go,  every  mother's  son  of 
them  that  want  to  go.  They  have  come  more 
than  a  thousand  miles  over  a  scorching 
prairie,  through  buffalo,  Indians,  and 
drought,  to  dig  gold.  Let  'em  dig  it,  man. 
But,  say,  don't  you  suppose  they  have  got 
to  eat  too,  along  with  the  diggin'?  You 
can't  sweat  on  the  business  end  of  a  pick- 
handle  in  these  hills  all  day  without  develop 
ing  a  surprising  appetite,  and  before  long 
their  little  wages  will  be  eaten  up,  and  they 


152        OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

will  be  coming  back  asking  for  work,  in 
order  to  buy  more  grub  so  they  can  dig  more 
rock.  Now,  there  was  no  use  in  the  world 
of  us  feeding  a  discontented  pack  of  Mis- 
sourians  and  keeping  them  laying  around 
here.  If  part  of  'em  never  come  back,  so 
much  the  better  for  us.  The  ones  that  do 
come  will  mean  business  and  will  work  hard. 
Then,  instead  of  paying  them  for  their  work 
with  what  little  money  we  have,  let's  'grub 
stake'  'em.  We  won't  give  them  too  much 
at  a  time,  and  in  that  way  we'll  be  having 
help  all  the  winter  and  everybody  will  be 
dead  busy  and  happy.  I  guess  that's  just 
about  what  we  want,  isn't  it?  But  I  think 
we  better  take  Red  and  Sikes  into  our  little 
company  some  way,  at  once,  for  we  have 
just  naturally  got  to  have  a  cook  and  a  me 
chanic.  That's  the  only  way  we  can  hope 
to  hold  'em,  and,  Jerusalem!  man,  there  is 
gold  enough  here  for  us  all.  Just  wait  till 
this  old  mill  gets  to  belching  out  gold  bricks.'' 
When  all  was  perfectly  arranged,  Tole- 
man,  Hale,  and  I  started  on  a  little  jaunt 
about  the  gulch  to  look  into  the  prospects 
and  to  do  some  advertising.  We  came  first 
to  an  old  fellow  who  was  "panning"  in  a 


GOLD  COUNTRY  AT  LAST     153 

stream  bed  just  below  us,  and  we  stopped 
to  watch  him  as  he  deftly  swung  the  heavy, 
flat  pan  so  as  to  toss  off  the  coarse  rock  and 
sand.  He  would  then  bend  eagerly  to  the 
task  of  panning  out  the  yellow  dust  from  the 
sediment  that  remained.  After  we  had 
stood  eagerly  watching  for  some  moments 
the  old  fellow  looked  up  at  us  with  a  mys 
terious,  confidential  wink,  and  motioned  for 
us  to  come  closer  to  him.  We  did  as  we 
were  invited  to  do,  and  there  in  that  one 
pan  of  gravel  were  three  splendid  nuggets. 
They  were  not  large,  to  be  sure,  but  worth 
three  or  four  dollars  apiece,  so  he  told  us. 

"Jerusalem!"  cried  Cy.  "Twelve  dollars 
a  shake  on  an  old  tin  pan.  Boys,  we'll  be 
rich  men  by  the  time  flowers  bloom  again." 

We  watched  the  old  fellow  for  a  half  hour, 
and  each  panful  of  dirt  yielded  richly.  Some 
times  more,  sometimes  less,  but  it  was 
always  gold  in  paying  quantities. 

"Getting  rich?"  I  inquired  of  him. 

"O,  yes,"  said  the  old  man,  positively. 
"I'll  soon  have  more  money  than  I  can  ever 
use  up.  You  see,  I  came  early  and  got  my 
pick.  I  presume  this  is  about  the  best  claim 
in  the  Rocky  Mountains."  He  paused  to 


154       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

study  us  closely,  c;nd  then  went  on  as  he 
panned  again:  "I  have  far  more  land  here 
than  I'll  ever  ."~et  panned  out.  It's  deucedly 
hard  labor  for  an  old  man.  I  think  I'll  sell 
a  chunk  of  it,  if  I  can  find  the  right  fellers 
for  neighbors.  It's  a  dead  sure  gamble  too. 
I  expect  there  is  at  least  a  million  dollars' 
worth  of  the  stuff  on  this  very  claim." 

He  laid  down  his  pan  and  came  over  to  us, 
seating  himself  on  a  big  bowlder.  Cy  looked 
at  him  intently  for  a  second  or  two,  and 
then  he  laughed  that  same  knowing  little 
half-maddening  chuckle  that  made  him  dif 
ferent  from  all  the  other  men  I  had  ever 
known,  and  motioned  us  to  come  along.  We 
left  the  old  man  at  his  pan,  and  climbed  off 
up  the  trail.  When  well  out  of  hearing  Cy 
turned  to  us  and  said : 

''His  derned  talking  spoiled  his  game. 
Beats  all  how  a  fellow's  talking  is  everlast 
ingly  getting  him  in  a  fix.  Boys,  them  same 
nuggets  are  being  washed  out  of  that  same 
dirt  every  day  for  every  tenderfoot  that 
comes  along.  I'll  bet  my  shirt  there  isn't 
fifty  dollars  worth  of  gold  in  the  whole 
placer." 

We  spent  all  that  day   strolling   round 


GOLD  COUNTRY  AT  LAST     155 

the  valley.  Toward  eve  ling  we  came  upon 
a  group  of  excited  miners  making  crude 
assays  by  an  open  camp  fir  They  would 
take  the  ore,  crush  it  to  fine  powder  in  a 
small  mortar,  and  then  treat  it  with  quick 
silver.  When  once  the  quicksilver  had  gath 
ered  all  the  golden  particles  from  the  rock 
dust,  it  was  poured  into  a  big  iron  ladle  and 
held  into  the  fire  until  the  mercury  entirely 
vaporized,  leaving  the  gold  behind  in  the 
ladle.  Evidently,  the  gold  showed  very 
strong,  for  the  miners  were  all  much  ex 
cited,  and  crowded  around  each  assay  to 
see  the  results  with  their  own  eyes.  Finally 
the  big  miner  at  the  ladle  turned  it  over  to 
his  partner  to  test  the  batch  he  had  been 
preparing  in  the  mortar,  and  ambled  up  to 
us.  No  doubt  he  noted  our  new  overalls,  and 
thought  probably  we  were  new  arrivals  and 
that  we  had  some  money. 

"It's  the  greatest  discovery  in  the  gulch," 
he  whispered,  confidentially.  "The  vein  is 
twenty  inches  wide,  and  a  tunnel  will  get 
her.  We're  only  in  the  'cap  rock'  yet,  and 
she  shows  two  thousand  dollars  to  the  ton 
right  now." 

Then,  after  watching  his  partner  at  the 


156       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

ladle  until  he  produced  his  bit  of  gold,  he 
turned  to  me,  and  said:  "There  are  a  few 
claims  yet.  I'll  take  you  men  there  to-night 
for  a  hundred  dollars  cash,  or  for  a  month's 
grub  stakes.  I  realize  I  can't  keep  it  a  secret 
long,  it's  too  rich;  but  I'm  broke.  Do  you 
want  to  share?" 

Toleman  was  thoroughly  interested,  and 
so  were  we  all.  We  watched  the  two  crush 
the  rock  and  treat  it.  The  gold  was  there 
very  strong.  There  could  be  no  question 
about  it.  Apparently,  two  others  across  the 
group  were  accepting  the  same  proposition. 
Why  should  we  waste  good  time  prospecting 
for  ourselves  when  some  one  else,  who  was 
hard  up  for  grub,  had  already  stumbled  onto 
a  rich  "pay  streak"  and  was  willing  to  sell 
reasonably? 

"I'll  go  you  on  the  grub  stakes,"  said  Cy, 
an  excited  tremor  in  his  voice.  "Where  will 
we  bring  them?" 

"I'll  meet  you  where  this  trail  crosses  the 
stream,"  said  the  prospector,  earnestly. 
"Come  alone,  and  bring  your  grub  with  you, 
for  I  won't  be  coming  back  again.  I  want 
to  get  right  to  work  before  the  discovery 
leaks  out." 


GOLD  COUNTRY  AT  LAST     157 

We  were  off  for  our  camp  in  wild  elation, 
and  without  saying  a  word  I  at  once  began 
to  pack  together  what  was  known  as  a 
month's  grub  stakes  of  flour,  bacon,  coffee, 
sugar,  and  beans,  while  Cy  told  my  uncle 
of  our  good  fortune.  He  listened  attentively 
to  the  end,  and  then  he  laughed — O,  how 
he  did  laugh ! 

"Cy,  I  knew  the  boys  were  greenhorns, 
but  I  thought  better  of  you  than  that.  That 
is  one  of  the  old  forty-nine  grafts,  and  it 
most  always  works  on  tenderfeet.  I'll 
wager  those  men  have  contracted  for  at  least 
a  year's  grub  to-day,  for  maybe  twenty  dol 
lars'  worth  of  gold,  all  of  which  they  yet 
have.  That  quicksilver  with  which  they 
were  making  those  tests  was  loaded  with 
gold,  and  they  would  have  gotten  the  same 
results  from  desert  sand  or  Missouri  mud. 
But  of  course  you  didn't  know  that.  That 
little  game  cost  me  my  whole  stake  in  Cali 
fornia  once." 

Cy  looked  at  him  almost  incredulously, 
and  then  he  too  laughed.  The  grub  stakes 
were  again  put  away,  and  we  settled  down 
about  our  own  fire  to  talk  it  all  over.  Each 
told  what  he  had  seen  and  heard,  and  after 


158       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

Cy  had  finished  he  rose  to  leave,  but  my 
uncle  called  him  back. 

"Better  let  the  grafters  go,  Cy/'  he 
laughed.  "They  have  got  to  have  food,  you 
know." 

The  Captain  himself  had  been  down  a 
number  of  shafts  that  day,  and  had  ex 
amined  carefully  many  of  the  best  lodes. 
He  had  listened  to  glowing  descriptions  of 
"pay  streaks"  and  "crevice  deposits,"  and 
rich  placers.  He  talked  glibly  of  "blossom 
rocks,"  "wall  rock,"  and  "pockets,"  until  we 
begged  for  explanations.  The  rest  of  the 
evening  was  a  practical  lesson  on  gold-min 
ing,  from  which  we  all  greatly  profited.  On 
the  morrow  we  went  to  work,  but  more  in 
telligently,  I'm  sure,  than  without  our  day's 
adventures. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
STAKING  THE  POT-HOLES 

GY'S  prediction  in  regard  to  our  men 
proved  to  be  exactly  right,  for  by  the 
third  day  half  of  our  best  drivers  returned 
to  camp,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  fourth, 
agreements  had  been  made  with  each  of 
them  that  were  satisfactory  to  both. 

We  began  at  once  to  fell  logs  for  our 
cabin,  while  Toleman  saw  to  the  unloading 
of  what  stuff  we  had  brought  in  with  us 
from  Mountain  City  before  setting  out  for 
the  rest  of  our  party  who  had  been  left  in 
Denver.  When  his  little  task  was  completed, 
he  called  Hale  to  him. 

"Hale,"  he  said,  "I've  been  thinking,  and, 
as  you  know,  I  never  had  any  use  for  Jake 
Henderson,  but  I'd  hate  to  be  guilty  of  starv 
ing  any  man  to  death,  even  if  I  knew  he  was 
a  scoundrel.  I'd  rather  shoot  him  outright. 
What  is  more,  it  won't  be  so  very  long  now 
till  this  camp,  like  every  other  gold  camp 
the  world  over,  will  be  setting  up  some  sort 
159 


160       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

of  law  and  order.  I've  been  thinking  it 
would  be  unfortunate  if  it  should  ever  leak 
out  that  we  had  really  starved  a  man  to 
death.  Of  course  the  real  facts  of  the  case 
could  never  be  known  by  all,  and  I  tell  you, 
boy,  suspicion  at  your  door  is  often  worse 
than  crime  itself — in  these  mountains  at 
least." 

"Well,  what  can  we  do?"  asked  Hale, 
"I'm  certain  the  marshal  has  Jake  long  be 
fore  this,  but  there  is  the  bare  chance  that 
he  might  never  come,  and  that  Jake  might 
suffer." 

"I  think  you  and  I  had  better  knock  off 
work  and  ride  over  there  to-day,  just  to  take 
a  look  and  make  certain." 

In  a  little  while  both  men  were  gone,  and 
I  found  myself  wondering  all  the  day  what 
they  would  find  out;  even  speculated  some 
on  several  possible  things  that  might  de 
velop  before  we  really  finished  with  Jake. 
What  if  they  should  find  him  still  there? 
What  would  they  do  with  him  ?  It  was  dusk 
before  they  came  slowly  up  the  trail  again 
together,  and  I  rushed  out  to  meet  them. 

"Gone !"  said  Hale,  in  answer  to  my  ques 
tion,  but  there  was  a  strange  note  in  his 


STAKING  THE  POT-HOLES     161 

voice  and  I  felt  that  he  had  not  told  me  all 
there  was  to  tell.  Finally  he  told  me  that 
the  cabin  door  had  been  forced  open  and 
that  Jake  was  really  gone;  that  the  ropes 
with  which  we  had  bound  him  so  securely 
lay  in  the  center  of  the  floor.  The  stove 
was  yet  warm,  and  there  were  many  evi 
dences  that  a  meal  had  but  recently  been 
prepared.  Cy  refused  to  talk  much  about 
it,  and  appeared  to  be  very  gloomy,  so  I 
pushed  the  matter  no  further  for  that  night, 
although  I  had  mighty  serious  doubts  if  the 
marshal  had  really  gotten  our  man. 

Bright  and  early  the  next  morning  the 
gang  were  off  for  Mountain  City,  and  then 
followed  days  of  such  strenuous  toil  that, 
as  I  now  look  back  over  them,  I  wonder  how 
we  ever  endured  them  at  all,  even  for  gold. 
I  can  see  those  oxen  straining  at  their  loads, 
as  if  they  would  pull  themselves  to  pieces, 
for  in  many  places  the  roads  were  simply 
impassable — running  straight  up  steep  hill 
sides,  over  rocky  ledges,  and  then  slipping 
down  the  mountains  so  precipitously  that  the 
fore  wheels  of  each  wagon  had  to  be  locked 
with  heavy  chains  to  keep  them  from  run 
ning  the  struggling  oxen  down.  Sometimes 


162        OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

these  roads  lay  up  the  bed  of  a  mountain 
stream,  strewn  with  huge  slippery  bowlders. 
Twice  a  wagon  upset,  and,  of  course,  as  fate 
would  have  it,  both  times  they  were  loaded 
with  provisions,  which  cost  us  great  loss. 
I  saw  our  one  precious  keg  of  syrup  roll  off 
a  load  and  go  bounding  down  the  mountain, 
like  a  thing  possessed,  only  to  finally  crash 
into  a  pinnacle  of  rock  and  flood  the  limbs 
of  a  big  spruce  with  syrup,  much  as  I  had 
often  seen  the  men  do  their  flapjacks. 

I  am  very  certain  that  the  heaviest  parts 
of  the  mill  would  never  have  reached  our 
gulch  at  all  under  any  other  man's  direction 
than  Toleman's.  Such  patience,  wisdom, 
and  quick  action  I  have  never  since  seen. 
Continually  Hale  was  at  his  side.  I  could 
hardly  realize  sometimes  that  the  powerful, 
bronzed  young  man,  with  a  face  covered 
with  black  whiskers,  was  my  own  young 
brother ;  but  so  it  was,  and  I  was  not  a  little 
proud  of  him. 

The  cabin — a  substantial,  well-built  affair 
— was  ready  for  occupancy  in  three  weeks, 
and  well  do  I  remember  the  luxury  of  those 
pine  bunks,  the  rough  table,  and  the  benches 
that  Red  had  constructed  from  a  few  rough 


STAKING  THE  POT-HOLES    163 

sawn  planks  we  were  able  to  buy  at  a  little 
sawmill. 

The  work  on  the  mill  progressed  much 
more  slowly  than  did  the  cabin,  for  during 
its  erection  a  number  of  very  rich  strikes 
were  made  in  the  gulch  above  us,  and,  of 
course,  we  joined  the  wild  rush  to  a  man. 
It  was  certainly  wild  excitement,  racing 
over  the  barren  granite,  staking  claims  any 
where  we  could  find  a  vein,  and  then  camp 
ing  on  them  all  night,  guarding  them  with 
our  rifles  until  the  excitement  was  past.  The 
last  of  these  great  discoveries  lay  along  the 
stream  in  the  bottom  of  our  valley,  and  was 
purely  a  placer  excitement.  Every  foot  of 
land  on  both  sides  of  that  stream,  from  the 
big  falls  to  the  little  city,  was  staked  and 
claimed.  There  were  many  bitter  fights  dur 
ing  the  days  that  followed,  and  some  shoot 
ing  scrapes  that  proved  fatal,  but  in  such 
wild  excitement  the  loss  of  a  few  human 
lives  seemed  of  little  or  no  consequence, 
when  each  new  strike  brought  a  fresh  supply 
of  greenhorns  into  the  valley. 

Hale  and  Toleman  had  both  been  mixed 
up  in  some  of  these  rows  and  had  been  com 
pelled  to  drive  two  claim  jumpers  off  their 


164       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

land  at  the  point  of  their  rifles.  These  had 
in  turn  set  fire  to  the  timber  in  the  night.  Cy 
declared  vengeance,  and  together  the  two  set 
out  to  find  the  offenders.  They  trailed  them 
far  up  stream,  until  the  canon  narrowed  to 
a  mere  rocky  defile  and  the  stream  became 
nothing  but  long  stretches  of  stony  rapids, 
ending  in  a  waterfall  that  leaped  from  a 
granite  ledge  forty  feet  above  them  into  two 
enormous  pot-holes  in  the  granite  below. 
They  could  go  no  further,  and  their  claim 
jumpers  had  gotten  away.  But  as  the  two 
sat  down  to  think  it  all  over,  a  great  idea 
flashed  into  Hale's  head. 

"Cy,"  he  said  thoughtfully,  "placer  gold 
is  carried  and  deposited  by  water,  isn't  it?" 

Toleman  replied  that  it  was,  and  Hale 
continued : 

"Well,  then,  the  mother-vein  of  all  this 
placer  excitement  must  be  somewhere  back 
in  this  canon.  It's  sure  we  haven't  passed  it 
coming  up,  so  that  every  bit  of  gold  that  is 
down  the  stream  must  have  gone  over  these 
falls  and  through  these  pot-holes.  Why, 
man,  they  are  wonderful  natural  settling 
basins.  They  beat  the  best  cradle  or  sluice 
that  has  ever  been  invented.  Cy,  let's  stake 


STAKING  THE  POT-HOLES    165 

these  pot-holes  as  claims.  We'll  hold  them 
secret  till  spring,  and  then  we'll  work  them." 

Toleman  was  skeptical  at  first  of  the 
whole  idea,  but  could  see  no  harm  in  adding 
a  few  more  prospects  to  their  holdings.  Ac 
cordingly,  the  stakes  were  erected,  and  piles 
of  quartz  from  an  outcrop  on  the  mountain 
set  up  for  corners. 

When  they  returned  to  camp  that  evening 
they  found  us  all  in  a  state  of  wild  excite 
ment,  for  in  our  absence  from  our  own  camp 
we  had  been  robbed  of  quantities  of  supplies, 
a  dozen  cans  of  powder  and  many  mine 
tools,  to  say  nothing  at  all  of  an  attempt  to 
blow  up  the  now  partly  erected  mill.  Evi 
dently,  the  robbers  had  been  disturbed,  and 
had  fled  before  finishing  the  job.  My  uncle 
was  disgusted  beyond  measure  to  think  we 
had  been  so  foolish  as  to  all  leave  camp  at 
one  time. 

"Why  should  we  be  treated  this  way?" 
stormed  my  uncle.  "I  did  not  realize  that 
we  had  an  enemy  in  the  camp.  I  for  one 
have  been  so  careful  to  be  friendly  to  all." 

"Looks  like  Jake's  doings  to  me,"  shyly 
suggested  Bill. 

"Jake,    your    grandmother!"    cried    my 


166       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

uncle.  "If  the  moon  should  suddenly  turn 
to  green  cheese,  you  men  would  blame  it  onto 
Jake.  He  is  no  doubt  reposing  behind  iron 
bars  at  Fort  Leavenworth  by  this  time.  No 
sir,  the  solution  to  this  affair  lays  much 
nearer  home." 

"Better  not  try  much  more  such  doings," 
vouchsafed  Cy.  "I'm  getting  plaggy  tired 
of  this  cut-throat  business,  I'm  getting  blood 
in  my  eye,  and  some  of  these  days  a  miner 
or  two  will  just  as  like  as  not  be  numbered 
among  the  missing."  We  all  laughed,  yet 
realized  that  Cy  was  in  deep  earnest. 

"Just  remember  you  are  not  out  on  the 
open  cattle  range  now,  though,  Cy,"  cau 
tioned  my  uncle,  who  was  always  a  man  of 
peace.  "But  living  in  a  civilized  mining 
town,  where  individuals  have  civil  rights. 
You  can't  treat  miners  like  cattle  thieves." 

"  'Bout  time  some  of  these  little  'centers 
of  culture'  began  to  give  their  citizens  a  bit 
of  protection  then,"  grumbled  Toleman,  dis 
gustedly,  understanding  that  what  my  uncle 
had  said  was  the  solemn  truth. 

"  'Center  of  culture'  is  correct,"  chimed  in 
Bill  from  his  kettles.  "Yesterday  a  woman 
and  two  children  arrived  across  the  gulch, 


STAKING  THE  POT-HOLES    167 

and  last  night  I  heard  two  Tom  cats  having 
an  altercation  outside.  'Fore  you  know  it, 
this  camp  will  be  having  a  missionary  so 
ciety,  and  perhaps  a  grand  ball.  I  heard  it 
said  that  a  preacher  was  prospecting  in 
Gregory  and  that  Mountain  City  already 
owned  two  doctors  and  an  undertaker. 
We're  a  coming  me-tropolis,  I  can  see  that, 
in  all  but  the  protection." 

The  next  day  we  all  set  to  work  with  a  will 
to  get  the  mill  finished  and  into  operation. 
My  uncle  was  getting  very  impatient,  for  a 
number  of  the  mine-owners  were  urging  him 
on  every  day.  The  frame  gradually  took 
shape,  and  then  the  machinery  was  placed 
and  adjusted  for  its  work. 

The  principal  features  of  the  mill  were 
twelve  large  pestles,  or  stamps,  weighing 
five  hundred  pounds  each  when  loaded. 
These  were  raised  by  machinery  about  two 
feet,  then  dropped  at  regular  intervals  into 
heavy  hoppers  onto  the  pieces  of  gold  quartz 
which  were  constantly  being  fed  into  them. 
A  tiny  stream  of  water  led  through  the  hop 
pers,  and  as  the  rock  became  crushed  fine 
enough  it  was  carried  away  through  fine 
screens  that  were  fastened  under  each  hop- 


168       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

per.  This  crushed  rock  and  water  was  then 
led  over  long  inclined  tables  covered  with 
highly  polished  copper  plates,  and  finally  off 
into  tough  woolen  blankets.  These  copper 
plates  had  a  generous  amount  of  quicksilver 
spread  over  them,  and  because  of  the  great 
affinity  of  copper  and  quicksilver  for  each 
other,  the  mercury  clung  tenaciously  to  the 
copper  plates. 

As  the  powdered  rock  ran  over  these 
plates  the  quicksilver  gathered  the  fine 
particles  of  gold ;  the  two  combining  to  form 
an  amalgam  that  closely  resembled  lead. 
The  amalgam,  when  sufficient  quantities  of 
it  had  collected,  was  then  scraped  away,  put 
into  a  small  retort-like  oven  and  heated ;  the 
heating  causing  the  mercury  to  pass  off  as 
vapor,  while  the  pure  metallic  gold  was  left 
in  the  bottom  of  the  retort.  This  gold  was 
commonly  broken  up  into  small  pieces  and 
carried  in  buckskin  bags  as  money,  being 
considered  for  local  use  worth  sixteen  dol 
lars  an  ounce. 

We  completed  our  mill  in  early  November, 
and  opened  it  for  business,  fully  expecting 
to  run  it  all  the  winter  on  the  huge  piles  of 
quartz  that  dozens  of  miners  were  getting 


STAKING  THE  POT-HOLES    169 

out  from  all  sides.  However,  the  mill  had 
not  been  running  two  weeks  when  suddenly 
the  water  in  the  ditch  above  us  stopped  flow 
ing,  because  of  an  intense  cold  snap.  This 
unfortunate  experience  suddenly  terminated 
any  possibility  of  our  operating  till  warm 
weather  should  return  again.  To  say  that 
we  were  disappointed  would  be  to  put  it 
mildly.  Besides,  what  were  we  to  do  all 
winter,  probably  snowed  in  in  the  hills?  It 
was  of  course  an  impossibility  to  move  the 
mill  down  to  the  stream.  My  uncle  was 
much  concerned,  and  could  not  figure  how 
we  were  to  live  another  five  or  six  months 
without  producing  any  wealth  of  any  kind. 

"We  have  been  living  on  hope  for  four 
months  already/'  he  lamented,  "and  now 
even  our  hope  is  all  gone.  We'll  have  to 
put  every  man  on  his  own  resources,  that's 
all,  and  see  if  we  can  make  a  living." 

"Me  for  those  pot-holes,"  said  Hale  to  Cy. 
"There  is  gold  there,  I  know — far  more  of 
it  than  this  old  mill  will  ever  grind  out." 

"Then  let's  get  at  it,"  assented  Cy.  "I'm 
getting  awfully  anxious  to  begin  my  for 
tune.  When  do  we  start?" 

"At  once,"  said  Hale.    "To-morrow!" 


CHAPTER  XIV 
THE  COMING  OF  THE  LAW 

OUR  provisions  ran  low,  our  money  was 
gone,  and  we  were  facing  a  serious 
crisis  when  Cy  came  to  our  rescue  by  sug 
gesting  that  in  all  probability  there  were 
many  parties  in  Denver  that  would  be  glad 
to  return  East  if  they  could  only  procure 
oxen,  and  inasmuch  as  we  were  through 
with  ours,  at  least  till  spring,  and  because 
grass  was  getting  very  scarce  in  our  valley, 
why  not  drive  our  ox  teams  to  the  city  and 
sell  them  ?  They  would  bring  big  prices  and 
would  incidentally  rid  us  of  their  care  during 
the  winter  months.  In  that  way  we  could 
release  all  our  hired  men,  except  the  actual 
company,  and  we  would  have  just  so  many 
less  mouths  to  feed.  Several  of  our  drivers 
had  made  fairly  good  strikes,  one  in  par 
ticular.  Many  more  were  preparing  to  win 
ter  in  the  hills,  while  others  of  them,  who 
had  been  less  fortunate,  were  planning  to 
return  to  the  States — tired,  worn,  and  dis 
couraged. 

170 


COMING  OF  THE  LAW         171 

Of  course  Toleman  and  Hale  were  again 
chosen  to  drive  the  critters  back  to  the  city 
and  to  sell  them.  One  of  the  oldest  oxen, 
that  was  badly  lamed  from  a  fall,  we  slaugh 
tered  for  our  winter's  meat,  but  the  rest  were 
herded  down  the  canon.  As  it  was  at  least 
thirty  miles  down  to  Denver,  they  took  the 
team  of  mules  along,  so  they  might  ride 
back.  The  first  night  out  it  clouded  up,  and 
at  dusk  began  to  rain.  Later  in  the  night 
it  turned  to  a  cold  drizzle,  and  before  morn 
ing  the  valley  was  filled  with  a  biting  moun 
tain  blizzard,  that  hissed  through  the  pines 
with  a  cold  rattle.  Winter  had  come  at  last, 
to  cover  her  blanket  of  white  over  the  beds 
of  glittering  gold  and  to  bid  mere  miners 
wait  till  spring. 

There  followed  a  general  exodus  from  the 
hills,  and  so,  upon  reaching  Denver  with 
the  oxen,  our  men  found  many  men  eager  to 
buy  and  willing  to  pay  in  gold.  The  sales 
were  soon  arranged,  a  few  necessary  sup 
plies  purchased,  and  then  the  two  set  out  to 
see  the  city.  They  could  not  believe  how 
Denver  had  grown  in  those  few  weeks. 
They  had  left  it  a  straggling  prairie  town, 
scattered  out  over  three  times  the  necessary 


OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

space,  but  they  found  it  a  Western  city,  with 
streets,  some  board  walks,  and  a  promise 
of  growth  that  was  unmistakable.  The  old 
makeshift  saloons  were  gone,  and  in  their 
places  were  substantial  buildings  with  great 
glass  mirrors  and  polished  bars.  Several 
wooden  hotels  were  up,  and  many  tradesmen 
were  at  work  on  all  sorts  of  permanent  struc 
tures,  from  banks  to  boarding  houses. 

It  was  while  making  the  rounds  of  the 
new  city  that  the  two  came  upon  "Mike's 
Thirst  Parlor."  It  was  a  splendid,  well- 
lighted  building,  equipped  with  every  sort 
of  a  gambling  device  known.  Across  one 
end  of  the  big  room  was  the  bar,  and  down 
one  side  was  a  long  row  of  small  tables,  oc 
cupied  by  professional  gamblers,  miners,  and 
tenderfeet.  The  place  was  crowded  to  the 
doors,  and  everyone  seemed  to  be  happy. 
Prosperity  was  in  the  air,  for  money 
changed  hands  quickly  and  with  little  cere 
mony,  suggesting  that  there  was  quantities 
of  it  everywhere.  Cy  and  Hale  stopped  half 
way  down  the  room  to  watch  a  Down-East 
Yankee  lose  his  roll  of  greenbacks  on  a  faro 
bank.  As  they  were  so  engaged,  a  shot  rang 
out,  and  instantly  everybody  was  alert  and 


COMING  OF  THE  LAW         173 

ready.  Hale  had  never  seen  such  a  display 
of  firearms  in  all  his  life  as  he  saw  in  the 
next  thirty  seconds.  Every  miner,  gambler, 
and  cowpuncher  seemed  to  fairly  bristle  with 
guns.  The  air  was  tense  with  excitement, 
and  every  man  seemed  to  be  waiting  for 
some  other  man  to  make  a  move. 

Suddenly,  as  if  prearranged,  the  crowd 
split,  so  as  to  give  the  men  engaged  in  the 
altercation  plenty  of  room  for  gun  play.  It 
so  happened  that  Hale  and  Toleman  found 
themselves  at  the  exact  end  of  the  aisle  thus 
created,  and  could  see  plainly  the  trouble. 
Two  men  stood  facing  each  other,  and 
of  course  both  men  were  armed  to  the  teeth 
and  raging  mad.  The  one  was  a  well 
dressed,  stylish  man,  that  marked  him  at 
once  a  professional  gambler.  The  other  was 
an  extremely  seedy,  weazened-up  miner,  in 
faded  jeans  and  jumper.  He  wore  a 
weather-beaten,  disreputable  hat,  and  his 
high  boots  turned  over  at  the  heel.  In  one 
hand  he  clutched  a  buckskin  bag,  in  the  other 
he  held  a  big  pistol  with  which  he  covered 
the  gambler. 

"That's  twice  you  tried  to  rob  me," 
snarled  the  little  man,  whose  back  was  to 


174       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

the  expectant  crowd.    ('I  told  you  before  I'd 
kill  you  if  you  tried  that  trick  again." 

"That's  a  lie!"  raged  the  gambler.  "Shoot 
if  you  dare.  There  are  a  dozen  here 
who  would  drop  you  before  you  could 


move." 


The  miner  glanced  quickly  about  him  to 
see  if  the  assertion  were  true. 

"Pay  me  the  bet,  or  get  out!"  cried  the 
gambler. 

The  enraged  miner  raised  his  gun  an  inch 
higher,  but  before  he  could  shoot,  a  second 
shot  rang  out,  and  the  big  pistol  went  spin 
ning  from  his  hands.  All  eyes  were  turned 
in  the  direction  of  the  bar.  There  stood 
Mike  himself,  the  smoke  still  curling  from 
his  gun.  The  next  instant  he  was  through 
the  crowd  and  had  the  little  miner  by  the 
neck.  Like  a  flash  he  unloaded  the  weapon 
and  handed  it  back. 

"Now,  Whiskers,  get  out,"  he  drawled. 
"You've  staged  a  little  show  like  this  before, 
and  you  have  no  spunk.  You're  yellow.  Get 
out,  and  stay  out.  You've  blocked  these 
games  long  enough." 

"I'll  kill  you  for  that,"  snarled  the  miner, 
turning  fiercely  on  the  big  Irishman. 


COMING  OF  THE  LAW         175 

"March !"  cried  Mike.  "Quick!  I've  got 
no  time  to  play  with  you/' 

The  little  miner  started  toward  the  door. 

"It's  Jake  Henderson,"  said  Hale,  in  an 
excited  whisper,  "whiskers  and  all." 

"Jerusalem!"  breathed  Cy.  "So  it  is. 
Quick,  boy,  out  of  sight."  But  he  had  acted 
too  slowly.  Jake  had  seen  them  both.  A 
wild  light  sprang  to  his  eyes,  and  in  an  in 
stant  he  whipped  out  a  second  gun,  and 
cried : 

"You  here?  I'll  kill  you  too.  I  swore  I 
would." 

Hale  was  too  dazed  to  think.  He  was 
just  conscious  of  one  fact — his  derringer 
was  not  up  his  sleeve. 

"I'll  drop  you  in  your  tracks  if  you  move, 
Jake,"  cried  Cy,  as  alert  as  a  big  squirrel. 

"Get  out!"  cried  Mike,  now  thoroughly 
angered  over  all  the  commotion,  "all  of  you. 
If  you  want  to  fight,  go  outside  and  do  your 
shooting." 

The  big  proprietor  had  Jake  by  the  neck 
now,  and  was  literally  dragging  him  toward 
the  door,  squirming  and  kicking  and  breath 
ing  out  threats  against  the  whole  world. 
Jake's  rage  became  a  fury,  and  he  fought 


176       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

like  a  wild  thing  to  be  free,  but  there  was 
no  escaping  the  giant  hand  that  held  him. 
At  the  door,  the  big  miner  gave  the  wrig 
gling,  cursing  little  man  a  shove  that  sent 
him  flying  half  way  across  the  street. 

"If  I  ever  catch  you  in  here  again/'  he 
said,  simply,  "I'll  flog  you  for  the  amuse 
ment  of  my  patrons.  Hear  me  ? — keep  out !" 
But  Jake  was  gone  in  the  crowd. 

"I  told  you  he  had  nine  lives,"  said  Cy. 
"We  must  watch  out  for  him  to-night.  He 
is  full  of  murder,  and,  Hale,  it  stands  to 
reason  he  doesn't  love  you  much.  Get  your 
little  derringer  up  your  sleeve,  boy,  and  keep 
your  eye  peeled  to-night." 

They  were  just  about  to  leave  the  place 
when  Cy  dropped  behind  and  spoke  a  word 
to  two  stalwart  cowboys  who  had  seen  the 
whole  thing  and  instantly  they  started  for 
the  door. 

"We  better  stay  in  the  crowd,"  cautioned 
Cy.  "That  little  runt  is  planning  to  pot  us 
to-night.  If  he  wasn't  crazy  mad  and  half 
drunk  he  would  be  harmless,  for  he  would 
bide  his  time;  but  to-night  it  is  different. 
He  will  shoot  to  kill  if  he  gets  half  a  chance." 

A  few  moments  later,  as  the  two  stood 


COMING  OF  THE  LAW         177 

on  the  busiest  corner  watching  the  proces 
sion  of  miners  come  and  go,  the  two  cowboys 
slipped  up  to  Cy  and,  with  a  grin,  handed 
him  Jake's  other  gun. 

"He  was  acting  reckless  with  it  out  here 
at  a  window,  and  I  thought  he  might  hurt 
himself,  so  I  just  relieved  him  of  it.  He 
swore  he'd  kill  me  for  it,  and  offered  to  buy 
it  back  at  my  own  price,  but  I  laughed  at 
him.  You  better  get  out.  He  has  friends, 
and  he'll  get  you.  Jim  will  keep  him  covered 
till  you're  out  of  sight." 

Cy  slipped  him  a  big  gold  coin,  stuck  the 
gun  in  his  shirt,  and  turned  to  Hale : 

"Let's  travel.  It  won't  be  long  till  he'll 
buy  another  gun,  or  steal  one,  and  then  we'll 
have  a  fuss.  We  better  wait  till  daylight 
to  start  back.  It  will  be  safer." 

"I  wish  he  would  fight  in  the  open,"  said 
Hale.  "I'm  not  afraid  of  him,  but  being 
around  him  is  like  being  in  a  country  where 
there  are  snakes." 

Early  the  next  morning,  long  before  the 
little  city  was  astir,  Toleman  and  Hale 
mounted  their  mules  and  with  their  packs 
full,  rode  off  toward  the  mountains.  All  day 
they  kept  a  keen  lookout  for  trouble,  but 


178       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

none  came.  It  was  dusk  before  the  two 
reached  Sentinel  Rock,  and  as  they  had  seen 
or  heard  nothing  all  the  way,  they  decided 
to  take  the  short  cut  over  the  mountain  and 
save  another  hour's  ride.  Soon  they  were 
in  the  thick  timber.  Twice  Cy  stopped  short 
to  listen,  but  heard  not  a  thing.  Soon  the 
timber  thickened,  and  the  roaring  little 
stream  made  it  very  hard  to  hear  anything 
save  its  own  wild  music. 

"I  hear  a  horse/'  breathed  Cy.  "Ride 
fast.  It's  on  our  left.  There  is  no  trail 
there.  It's  in  the  low  timber." 

Hale  strained  to  hear,  but  could  dis 
tinguish  nothing.  Just  as  they  emerged 
from  the  black  shadows  into  a  cleared  spot, 
a  shot  rang  out,  and  then  another.  The  first 
passed  through  Hale's  hat,  the  second 
plunged  into  his  mule's  flank.  He  felt  the 
animal  quiver  and  falter,  then  stumble. 
Quickly  he  slipped  to  the  ground  and  behind 
a  clump  of  mountain  birch.  Cy  blazed  away 
at  the  mountain,  but  getting  no  response, 
he  ordered  Hale  into  his  own  saddle,  and 
together  they  hurried  toward  the  cabin 
that  stood  just  a  hundred  yards  further  up 
the  gulch.  When  into  the  shadows  again 


COMING  OF  THE  LAW         179 

they  stopped  to  listen,  but  could  hear  no 
sound. 

"He's  gone,"  whispered  Cy,  at  last.  "He 
lost  his  opportunity.  Too  much  'forty  rod* 
last  night  for  sharp  shooting.  But  the  scala 
wag  has  located  our  mill,  and  no  doubt  we 
will  hear  from  him  every  few  days  until  he 
gets  one  of  us,  or  till  we  get  him/' 

"What  were  those  shots?"  asked  my 
uncle,  as  soon  as  we  had  entered,  for  he  had 
grown  nervous  of  late  with  worry  and  dis 
appointment,  so  that  it  took  very  little  to 
upset  him.  "I  saw  a  strange  rider  out  yonder 
twice  just  before  dark.  He  seemed  to  be 
looking  for  corner  stakes,  but  kept  well  into 
the  shrubbery.  He  was  on  a  mule,  I  think." 

"It  was  a  hold-up,  Captain.  He  got  one 
good  mule  and  other  information,  but  fortu 
nately  not  either  of  us,  although  he  no  doubt 
would  have  liked  to.  Captain,  it's  time  for 
this  gulch  to  organize  itself  for  protection 
against  the  lawless,"  said  Cy. 

"The  desperadoes  and  crooks  in  Denver 
are  as  thick  as  molasses,  and  when  it  gets 
too  hot  for  them  down  there  they  take  to  the 
hills.  That  was  a  dried-up,  weazened-faced 
thug  that  just  tried  to  pot  us  as  we  hit  the 


i8o       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

trail  to  the  shanty.  No  doubt  he  has  been 
laying  for  us  all  day.  His  ugly  face  is 
masked  in  a  few  months'  dirty  whiskers,  but 
I  know  him  just  the  same.  He's  out  for 
scalps.  Before  long  it  won't  be  safe  for  any 
of  us  to  leave  this  cabin  after  night." 

"Jake!"  blurted  out  Bill  Sikes.  Some 
times  he  seemed  to  have  Jake  Henderson 
on  the  brain. 

"O,  no,"  said  Cy,  derisively.  "Not  our 
Jake.  He  must  be  behind  iron  bars  at 
Leavenworth !"  Then,  in  plainly  disgusted 
tones,  he  cried,  throwing  off  his  coat  and 
hat  and  loosening  the  neck  of  his  shirt:  "It 
was  Jake  Henderson,  of  course.  Who  else 
would  shoot  at  a  man  like  that  in  the  dark? 
Yes,  Jake  is  at  large,  determined  to  clean 
us  all  out.  We  saw  him  in  Denver,  and 
worse  than  that,  he  saw  us.  I'm  afraid  he'll 
get  some  of  us,  unless  we  get  this  gulch 
stirred  up  at  once.  It's  time  for  the  Vigi 
lantes  to  take  a  hand." 

Then  he  told  us  very  clearly  just  what  had 
happened  in  Denver  the  night  before,  em 
phasizing  the  fact  that  every  man  of  us  must 
now  be  on  the  constant  watch  for  Jake  if  we 
valued  our  lives  even  a  little. 


COMING  OF  THE  LAW         181 

"I  believe  the  time  has  come  to  organize," 
said  my  uncle,  thoughtfully.  "Yesterday, 
while  you  were  gone,  there  were  two  bold 
hold-ups  in  Leavenworth  gulch,  and  I  un 
derstand  that  thieving  down  in  Mountain 
City  is  becoming  very  troublesome.  I'll  see 
the  men  about  it  to-morrow.  We  can't  help 
it  if  now  and  then  a  couple  of  enraged,  half- 
drunken  miners  take  a  notion  to  shoot  each 
other  full  of  holes.  In  the  long  run  that  is 
no  loss.  But  when  it  gets  so  a  man  cannot 
leave  his  property  in  reasonable  safety,  then 
we  must  take  means  to  give  him  protection, 
even  if  it  takes  drastic  measures.  Some 
stranger  tried  to  compel  Switzer  to  leave 
the  country  yesterday,  telling  him  if  he 
didn't  go  at  once  his  shop  would  be  burned 
and  he  shot  on  sight.  The  old  fellow  con 
fided  to  me  that  he  knew  where  a  very  rich 
outcrop  of  gold-bearing  quartz  was  located 
and  that  he  was  simply  working  his  trade 
to  get  a  start.  I  advised  him  to  keep  his 
secret  and  stay." 

"No  doubt  there  are  quantities  of  gold  in 
many  of  these  shanties,  and  provisions  are 
even  more  valuable,"  said  Bill.  "Why,  it 
was  only  yesterday  a  miner  offered  me 


182       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

twenty-five  dollars  in  nuggets  for  one  ham. 
Men  are  getting  hard  up." 

"I'll  go  about  the  camp  first  thing  in  the 
morning  and  arrange  for  a  secret  meeting 
at  our  mill,"  said  my  uncle.  "The  Vigi 
lantes  kept  peace  and  order  in  forty-nine. 
They  can  do  it  again,  and  they  will.  I  re 
member  the  oath  of  membership  and  the 
countersign." 


CHAPTER  XV 
THE  VIGILANTES 

TRUE  to  his  word,  it  was  hardly  more 
than  daylight  the  next  morning  when 
my  uncle  was  off  to  talk  with  a  selected  list 
of  miners  and  mine-owners  about  the  advis 
ability  of  organizing  the  camp  against  fur 
ther  lawlessness.  Some  met  the  proposal 
with  enthusiasm,  but  others  laughed  at  him 
and  advised  him  it  was  a  waste  of  time. 
However,  he  was  determined,  and  by  night 
had  gotten  enough  promises  to  guarantee  a 
representative  meeting. 

About  noon  the  same  day  what  appeared 
to  be  a  professional  gambler  put  in  his  ap 
pearance  at  the  gulch,  and  from  the  very 
first  it  was  evident  that  he  was  looking  for 
some  one  in  particular.  He  wore  a  black 
suit  of  dressy  clothes,  and  his  face  was  clean 
shaven,  except  for  a  little  black  mustache. 
He  asked  no  questions,  and  talked  with  no 
one,  but  stopped  a  number  of  times  as  he 
came  up  the  trail  to  consult  a  little  memoran- 

183 


184       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

dum  that  he  had  in  his  hand.  Evidently,  he 
was  looking  for  a  man  whose  description 
he  had  in  his  notebook.  I  was  working  at 
my  table  near  the  cabin  window,  and  could 
see  his  every  move.  Finally  he  abruptly 
disappeared  into  Switzer's  blacksmith  shop 
on  the  corner,  where  the  old  blacksmith  was 
busy,  singing  as  he  sharpened  drills. 

I  noted  that  the  stranger  closed  the  door 
behind  him.  His  unusual  costume  in  a  wild 
mining  camp  had  excited  my  curiosity,  so, 
taking  my  gun,  I  sauntered  out  to  see  what 
I  could  learn.  Passing  our  shed,  I  picked 
up  a  couple  of  picks  that  were  badly  in  need 
of  repair.  With  them  as  my  excuse,  I 
started  for  the  blacksmith  shop.  When  I 
drew  near  enough  I  heard  loud  and  abusive 
talk,  and  it  seemed  to  me,  from  the  way  old 
Switzer  was  begging,  that  the  stranger  must 
have  the  drop  on  him.  I  gathered  from  the 
broken  conversation  that  the  stranger  was 
trying  to  compel  the  old  fellow  to  give  up 
some  sort  of  information  that  he  did  not 
want  to  part  with. 

I  knew  Switzer,  and  I  at  once  realized 
that  the  stranger  would  never  get  the  in 
formation  he  was  after,  and,  fearing  a  cold- 


THE  VIGILANTES  185 

blooded  murder  right  in  what  might  be 
called  our  backyard,  I  hastily  retreated  in 
search  of  Hale  or  Toleman.  Fortunately, 
I  found  them  both  coming  down  the  trail 
from  the  upper  claim,  and  quickly  told  them 
of  the  situation. 

"More  of  this  skunk  stuff,"  growled  Cy. 
"Why,  old  Switzer  wouldn't  hurt  a  hair  of 
a  man's  head.  It's  common  talk,  though, 
among  the  miners  that  he  does  know  where 
the  richest  lode  in  the  valley  is  situated,  and 
this  scalawag  is  taking  advantage  of  him. 
Come !"  We  were  off  at  a  fast  trot  toward 
the  little  shop. 

"Now  I'll  go  in  the  back  door,  and  you 
two  follow  in  when  you  hear  me  laugh.  It 
will  be  our  signal.  Hale,  is  your  derringer 
up  your  sleeve?" 

Hale  nodded  that  it  was,  and  Toleman, 
with  as  little  noise  as  was  possible,  opened 
the  door  and  peered  in.  There  stood  our 
friend  Switzer  with  both  of  his  big  hands 
held  high  above  his  head  while  the  new 
comer  kept  him  covered  with  his  pistol.  As 
Cy  entered,  the  stranger  instantly  shifted  the 
gun  to  cover  him  also,  and  demanded  to 
know,  in  a  soft,  friendly  voice : 


186       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

"Why  this  intrusion  into  a  private  con 
ference,  sir?" 

"Looks  a  heap  more  like  a  private  hold-up 
to  me,"  laughed  Toleman.  "All  I  want  is 
my  rifle  over  yonder.  I  have  urgent  need 
of  it." 

He  made  a  move  toward  the  corner  behind 
the  stranger,  who  at  this  point  shifted  his 
eye  just  a  second  in  search  of  the  mentioned 
rifle,  but  that  was  all  that  was  necessary. 
Quicker  than  lightning — yes,  in  less  time 
than  it  takes  for  a  sunbeam  to  flash  from  a 
mirror,  a  tiny  derringer  appeared  in  Tole- 
man's  hand,  and  with  it  came  a  merry 
laugh. 

It  was  Cy's  signal,  so  Hale  and  I,  hear 
ing  it,  pushed  into  the  shop  with  guns 
drawn  and  covered  the  stranger,  who  was 
too  surprised  to  act  quickly.  He  now  had 
no  chance  whatever,  and  seemed  to  realize 
it.  He  glanced  about  furtively,  as  if  to 
find  a  way  of  escape.  Seeing  there  was 
absolutely  none,  he  spoke  again.  It  was  like 
the  snarl  of  a  cornered  wolf. 

"Well,  what  do  you  want  here,  anyway? 
Since  when  did  you  become  the  custodian 
of  the  law  in  this  skunk  hollow  ?" 


THE  VIGILANTES  187 

"Since  we  became  bothered  with  skunks," 
laughed  Cy,  a  cold  hardness  having  sud 
denly  crept  into  his  voice. 

"Just  hand  over  that  pea-shooter  of  your'n 
to  my  deputy,  please"  (he  indicated  Hale), 
"and  mind,  none  of  your  monkey  business, 
or  we'll  have  a  half  holiday  for  a  funeral  in 
this  gulch  to-morrow.  Jerusalem!  but  you 
city  sports  do  disgust  me.  Quick !  butt  first, 
and  keep  your  finger  off  that  trigger.  That's 

it." 

Switzer  suddenly  pulled  a  carefully  folded 
bit  of  paper  from  his  pocket  and  placed  it 
on  the  fire  in  the  forge.  The  stranger 
sprang  forward  to  snatch  it,  but  Hale  was 
too  quick  for  him,  and  stepped  between.  The 
delay  of  a  second  was  all  that  was  necessary. 
The  paper  broke  into  flame,  and  the  stranger 
snarled  again  at  his  defeat. 

"Now  get  out!"  cried  Cy,  "and  get  so 
derned  far  that  you  can't  ever  get  back. 
Unfortunately,  this  gulch  ain't  organized  to 
care  for  yer  like  yet,  but  mind  what  I  say, 
it  will  be  next  time  you  call.  You  have  no 
doubt  heard  of  the  Vigilantes.  Next  time 
I  see  you  in  this  camp,  I  shoot.  Good  day, 


sir." 


i88       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

Cy  swung  wide  the  door  and  motioned 
him  out. 

"I  gave  you  your  chance,  and  would  have 
gone  halves  with  you/'  cried  the  gambler  to 
Switzer.  "Now  I'll  get  you  and  the  claim 
too." 

"Toleman,"  said  Switzer,  in  great  earnest, 
"I  won't  forget  this  of  you.  I  know  where 
the  best  lode  in  Colorado  is,  and  you  boys 
are  in  on  it  with  me.  We'll  go  to-morrow. 
I  can  draw  another  map  from  memory  that 
will  do." 

The  next  morning  Switzer  failed  to  open 
his  shop.  Cy  and  Hale  wandered  up  to  his 
shanty  to  see  what  was  the  trouble,  and 
found  him  dead  in  his  chair,  seated  at  a 
crude  table,  where  evidently  he  had  been 
sketching  on  the  map  that  lay  before  him. 
The  bottle  of  ink,  however,  had  been  upset 
and  had  run  down  across  the  paper,  com 
pletely  blotting  out  a  strip  of  the  sketch 
several  inches  wide. 

The  whole  incident  stirred  the  gulch  to 
quick  action.  Many  men  who,  the  day  be 
fore,  had  hooted  at  the  very  idea  of  a 
Vigilance  Committee,  came  excitedly  to  our 
mill  and  urged  a  miners'  meeting  at  once. 


THE  VIGILANTES  189 

However,  it  was  night  before  we  were  finally 
able  to  arrange  it.  Many  miners  came 
whom  I  had  never  seen  before,  but  Cy 
seemed  to  know  them  nearly  all.  When  the 
meeting  was  finally  called  to  order,  there 
were  twenty-seven  of  the  better-known 
miners  of  our  own  gulch  there.  My  uncle 
acted  as  chairman,  and  the  discussion  was 
soon  under  way. 

"We  ought  to  have  an  oath  of  member 
ship,"  said  one.  Then,  turning  to  my  uncle : 
"Herman,  what  was  the  one  used  in  forty- 
nine?  Can  you  remember?" 

"Not  exactly,"  said  my  uncle,  "but  it  was 
something  like  this : 

"  'We,  the  decent  miners  of  this  camp, 
secretly  agree  to  stand  together  to  the  last, 
to  maintain  order  and  safety  for  lives  and 
property  against  any  lawless  element,  and 
to  avenge  the  death  of  any  man  of  us/  " 

"That's  what  we  want,"  spoke  up  several 
of  the  men.  "Now  let's  take  our  oath  and 
elect  the  officers  of  this  body.  I  hate  to  be 
gone  too  long,  with  my  cabin  full  of  high- 
grade." 

Toleman  was  made  sheriff,  which  position 
he  accepted  with  Hale  as  his  deputy.  An- 


190       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

other  miner  was  elected  secretary,  to  keep 
the  proceedings  of  the  court,  and  my  uncle 
was  chosen  justice  of  the  peace.  This  primi 
tive  court  was  to  have  jurisdiction  over  all 
disputes  of  importance,  such  as  mining- 
claim  disputes,  criminal  cases,  and  in  fact 
everything  that  had  to  do  with  the  peace  and 
tranquillity  of  our  camp.  The  court  was  to 
convene  on  every  Sunday  afternoon.  Be 
fore  a  month  many  interesting  cases  had 
come  up  for  settlement.  Incidentally,  the 
court  was  a  real  social  occasion  too,  and 
brought  the  miners  together  for  better  ac 
quaintance  and  understanding  of  each  other 
and  of  each  other's  interests.  One  miner 
stole  another's  boots,  and  was  given  just 
thirty  minutes  to  leave  camp,  being  warned 
that  to  return  meant  to  be  shot  on  sight. 
Another  man  stole  a  quantity  of  quicksilver, 
and  was  sentenced  to  twenty  lashes  with  an 
ox  whip.  Two  desperate  criminals  were 
turned  over  to  the  national  authorities.  Next 
came  three  murders  in  quick  succession,  but 
as  each  seemed  to  have  been  largely  a  case 
of  mutual  animosity,  and  inasmuch  as  the 
camp  got  nothing  but  gain  from  the  death 
of  these  drunken  disturbers,  the  court  took 


THE  VIGILANTES  191 

no  notice  of  the  affair  whatever.  Two  men 
used  the  power  of  the  Vigilance  Committee 
to  further  their  own  ends,  and  were  com 
pelled  to  leave  the  mountains.  Their  prop 
erty  was  taken  from  them,  and  finally  sold 
to  make  funds  for  court  proceedings. 

With  the  firm  establishment  of  peace  and 
order,  and  the  final  closing  of  our  mill  for 
the  winter,  we  began  diligently  to  prosecute 
the  work  on  our  own  two  claims.  In  one 
the  vein  was  quite  rich,  but  only  two  to  three 
inches  wide,  so  did  not  prove  to  be  worth 
working,  yet  the  hope  that  kept  us,  like  hun 
dreds  of  others,  constantly  at  work  was  that 
the  vein  was  bound  eventually  to  widen  out 
and  grow  richer  as  we  went  deeper. 

The  other  claim  developed  a  wide  vein  of 
black  pyrites  that  closely  resembled  the  ore 
being  taken  from  the  best  paying  claims  in 
Mountain  City,  so  we  toiled  on  piling  up 
the  black  stuff  against  the  day  we  could 
resume  work  in  the  mill.  During  these 
months  we  spent  many  evenings  speculating 
on  the  value  of  our  pile  of  ore,  confident  that 
when  it  was  crushed  and  washed  it  would 
make  us  a  small  fortune. 

It  was  in  January  that  two  men,  who  had 


192       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

taken  up  an  abandoned  claim  just  north  of 
our  mill,  struck  it  rich.  The  original  pros 
pectors  had  already  dug  to  a  depth  of  about 
forty  feet  in  a  "cap  rock/'  following  a  nar 
row  vein  and  "good  indications,"  only  to  see 
the  vein  snuff  out  at  that  point.  Discour 
aged  and  blue,  they  tore  down  their  stakes, 
packed  up  their  tools,  and  moved  over  into 
California  Gulch,  where  a  new  excitement 
was  fast  developing.  The  two  newcomers 
relocated  the  claim,  set  off  just  two  blasts  in 
that  old  abandoned  hole,  and  struck  a  vein 
of  high-grade  that  paid  them  that  winter 
alone  over  fifty  thousand  dollars  in  gold, 
most  of  which  they  promptly  squandered  in 
the  gambling  houses  and  saloons  of  Denver 
and  Mountain  City. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

OUR  GOLDEN  DREAMS  BEGIN  TO 
FADE 

"T II  TE  better  be  wandering  up  and  look-. 

VV  ing  over  that  pot-hole  claim  again, 
hadn't  we,  Hale?"  said  Cy  one  morning.  "I 
see  the  first  signs  of  spring  are  here,  and 
before  we  know  it  a  swarm  of  prospectors 
will  be  back  in  the  hills  again  and  the  stream 
will  be  alive  with  new  tenderfeet.  Some  one 
might  take  a  fancy  to  them  granite  bath  tubs 
of  our'n  and  camp." 

So,  taking  a  couple  of  days'  provisions, 
our  rifles,  a  shovel,  and  a  small  pick,  we 
started  out,  for  there  was  but  little  more 
that  could  be  done  in  camp,  even  on  our 
claims,  till  the  ice  went  out  and  the  spring 
water  came.  The  country  was  beautiful  to 
see.  On  one  side  stretched  hundreds  of 
pine-clad  hills  with  thousands  of  prospect 
holes  scattered  everywhere.  To  the  east, 
through  the  valley  of  Clear  Creek,  as  it 
wound  through  the  intervening  ranges,  the 
plains  could  be  seen  for  over  a  hundred 
193 


i94       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

miles.  Sometimes  these  plains  would  be 
covered  with  shifting  clouds  that  were  far 
below,  and  at  other  times  the  dry  stream 
beds  could  be  seen  winding  through  the 
black  belts  of  yellow  pine  that  stretched 
away  to  the  horizon  like  an  immense  burned- 
over  prairie. 

We  especially  liked  to  watch  an  east  wind 
drive  the  fluffy  clouds  up  into  the  hills,  like 
an  immense  herd  of  big  sheep,  blotting  out 
first  one  range,  then  another,  until  we  our 
selves  were  lost  in  the  mists. 

I  decided  that  I  would  go  part  way  to  the 
pot-holes  with  them  that  morning,  and  I 
shall  never  forget  what  I  saw  as  we  reached 
the  summit.  Far  to  the  West,  fully  twenty 
miles  away,  I  think,  stretched  the  Snowy 
Range  with  its  scores  of  peaks.  The  sun 
was  shining  upon  them,  causing  them  to 
sparkle  in  the  light  like  big  diamonds  set  in 
the  purple  green  of  the  lower  ranges.  Far 
to  the  South,  where  Pike's  Peak  raised  her 
snowclad  summit,  we  could  see  a  raging 
mountain  blizzard  playing  in  the  Middle 
Park. 

At  our  very  feet  were  the  unmistakable 
tracks  of  mountain  lion  in  the  snow.  Evi- 


DREAMS  BEGIN  TO  FADE      195 

dently,  the  lion  had  been  trailing  his  break 
fast,  for  Hale  reported  later  having  seen 
the  half  eaten  carcass  of  a  big  elk  in  a  small 
canon  beyond.  The  squirrels  were  yery 
plentiful,  especially  the  big  black  ones,  and 
many  a  cold  night  on  that  trip,  we  had 
stewed  squirrel  with  split  peas  for  our  eve 
ning  meal. 

Just  before  I  left  them  to  return,  we  came 
upon  a  tumbled-down  old  cabin,  and  as  there 
were  some  signs  of  it  having  been  recently 
inhabited,  we  decided  to  investigate.  What 
was  our  horror  to  find  an  old  miner  dead  in 
his  bunk,  having  been  shot  through  the 
heart.  On  the  rough  table  beside  him  lay 
three  empty  buckskin  bags.  The  old  miner, 
perhaps  sick  and  unable  to  protect  himself, 
had  no  doubt  been  shot  and  robbed. 

Upon  reaching  the  pot-holes,  Hale  was 
furious  to  find  our  first  claim-stakes  knocked 
out  and  a  crude  shanty  erected  on  the  land. 
This  was  occupied  by  an  old  Scotchman, 
who  absolutely  declined  to  talk  and  who  kept 
a  careful  watch  on  our  every  move.  It  was 
evident  he  was  guarding  a  secret,  or  else  he 
was  suspicious  of  who  we  were  or  what  we 
were  after. 


196       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

"There  is  a  dim  trail  leading  off  into  the 
trees  from  the  rear,"  whispered  Cy.  "Keep 
the  old  fellow  busy,  and  I'll  see  where  it 
goes." 

Cy  followed  the  trail  back  through  the 
timber  until  he  came  to  as  snug  a  cave  in 
the  granite  cliff  as  could  be  imagined,  and 
in  it  were  two  splendid  saddles,  a  pinto  pony 
and  a  mule.  A  big  silver  spruce  had  been 
felled  so  as  to  partly  screen  the  entrance, 
and  apparently  care  had  been  taken  to  re 
move  all  signs  of  the  animals.  Strange  as 
it  seemed,  and  without  being  able  to  tell  just 
why,  both  men  had  felt  from  the  instant  they 
came  into  sight  of  the  cabin  that  they  were 
being  watched  from  a  hidden  point. 

"Something  almighty  strange  about  that 
shanty,"  observed  Cy  to  Hale.  "They  are 
doing  no  mining,  apparently " 

"They !  Why,  I  saw  only  one,"  spoke  up 
Hale. 

"Yes,  but  there  are  two  animals.  You 
don't  suppose  that  crippled  Scotchman  rides 
both  animals,  do  you?  Where  is  the  other 
man  now? — that's  the  main  question." 

They  were  compelled  to  return  home  with 
out  having  accomplished  very  much.  They 


DREAMS  BEGIN  TO  FADE     197 

stopped  at  the  cabin  of  the  dead  miner  and 
gave  the  old  fellow  a  decent  burial  before 
coming  on  home,  but  kept  what  they  had 
really  seen  to  themselves,  except  for  me,  and 
waited  developments.  Cy  was  sure  some 
thing  would  turn  up  to  shed  some  light  on 
the  matter. 

We  went  to  work  again  on  our  upper 
claim,  more  to  keep  ourselves  busy  and  in 
trim  than  for  any  other  reason.  About  a  week 
later,  what  was  our  joy  to  open  a  fair-sized 
pocket  that  made  wonderful  returns.  We 
took  some  of  the  best  ore  to  the  cabin  and 
crushed  it  by  hand,  then  treated  it  with 
mercury  and  vaporized  it  in  our  own  open 
fireplace.  Each  ladleful  of  rock  would  pro 
duce  fifty  to  sixty  dollars  in  pure  gold,  and 
we  were  riotously  happy,  and  dreamed  great 
dreams  of  what  we  would  do  when  we  could 
crush  and  work  the  ore  in  large  quantities 
at  our  mill. 

One  evening  while  we  were  all  engaged 
in  this  interesting  pastime,  a  stranger 
knocked  at  our  cabin  door.  This  was  not 
an  uncommon  thing,  for  our  cabin  was  the 
best  in  the  gulch,  and  many  a  tenderfoot, 
and  even  capitalist,  for  that  matter,  had 


198       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

come  there  during  our  stay,  asking  for 
everything,  from  information  to  grub  stakes. 
This  evening  it  was  a  lone  man  of  middle 
age.  It  took  but  a  few  moments  of  con 
versation  with  him  to  convince  us  that  he 
was  not  the  usual  adventurer,  but  was  a  man 
of  high  intelligence  and  no  little  education. 
After  Bill  had  fed  him  well,  he  drew  into 
our  circle  and  watched  us  carefully  as  we 
prospected  ladle  after  ladle  of  the  precious 
ore.  Finally  my  uncle  brought  out  the  buck 
skin  bag  into  which  we  had  been  putting 
our  findings  from  the  new  pocket,  and 
showed  them  to  the  stranger.  I  noted  his 
flushed,  triumphant  face.  He  was  as  happy 
as  a  boy.  His  wildest  dreams  were  coming 
true.  He  was  in  the  land  where  pure  gold 
could  be  cooked  out  of  the  powdered  rock  in 
an  open  fireplace. 

"Tell  me,  are  there  quantities  of  that 
wonderful  stuff?"  he  asked  my  uncle,  in  sup 
pressed  excitement. 

"We  can't  tell,"  said  my  uncle,  soberly. 
"There  may  be  but  a  few  pounds  of  it.  There 
may  be  tons." 

"Tons?  Will  you  sell  that  mine?"  he 
questioned,  eagerly. 


DREAMS  BEGIN  TO  FADE     199 

"Yes,"  said  my  uncle;  and  we  were  all 
surprised,  for  he  had  not  even  so  much  as 
questioned  us  in  regard  to  our  desires,  and 
we  held  the  claim  by  joint  ownership. 

"What  is  your  price,  sir?"  asked  the  gen 
tleman. 

"Ten  thousand  dollars,"  said  my  uncle. 
"We  have  other  claims,  all  good  ones ;  more 
than  we  can  work  ourselves,  and  before  long 
we  will  be  starting  up  the  mill  again.  That 
will  take  every  man  long  hours  every  day. 
There  are  thousands  of  tons  of  ore  waiting 
for  our  mill  to  begin  operation." 

The  stranger  considered  carefully.  Early 
the  next  morning  they  went  to  examine  the 
shaft,  and  when  they  returned  to  the  cabin 
the  deal  was  made.  We  were  to  take  eight 
thousand  dollars  in  gold  and  a  one-third 
interest  in  the  mine.  The  next  day  the  gen 
tleman  started  back  to  Denver  for  supplies, 
additional  help,  and  a  tool  kit. 

My  uncle  then  called  us  all  together  and 
told  us  why  he  had  sold  our  very  best  claim. 

"We  have  but  thirty  dollars  left  from  the 
sale  of  our  oxen  and  wagons,  besides  this 
little  bag  of  dust  from  the  pocket,"  he  said, 
"and  we  cannot  hire  help  for  the  mill  when 


200       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

it  opens  without  money.  I  am  confident  that 
our  fortune  lays  in  that  pile  of  black  ore,  and 
there  are  quantities  more  of  it;  but  it  must 
be  milled  before  it  is  of  any  value  here." 

We  boys  had  hazarded  nothing,  save  our 
selves,  in  this  gold  venture,  so  could  not 
complain,  although  it  was  just  a  bit  disap 
pointing  to  us  all  not  to  be  able  to  continue 
our  pleasant  task  of  actually  cooking  fifty 
dollars'  worth  of  gold  out  of  the  rock  every 
few  moments. 

The  next  morning  brought  news  of  a  bold 
robbery  in  Mountain  City,  while  all  that  was 
known  about  it  was  that  the  robber  rode  a 
mule. 

Cy  sat  thoughtfully  a  long  while,  after  the 
news  arrived,  but  all  that  he  would  say  was : 
"On  a  mule,  eh?  There  will  be  more  work 
for  the  Vigilantes  before  long,  I'm  thinking. 
On  a  mule !  and  there  is  but  one  in  the  whole 
valley."  He  called  Hale  to  him,  and  together 
they  held  a  secret  conference. 

It  was  hardly  a  week  later  that  two  of  the 
best-known  miners,  who  had  been  prominent 
in  several  trials  in  our  court,  en  route  to  the 
city  for  a  new  supply  of  provisions,  were 
held  up  and  robbed  of  their  entire  bag  of 


DREAMS  BEGIN  TO  FADE     201 

dust.  The  next  day  an  outlying  prospector's 
cabin  was  fired.  It  so  happened  that  it  had 
been  well  stocked  with  powder,  and  a  ter 
rific  explosion  followed,  loosening  a  great 
granite  stratum  far  up  on  the  mountain  and 
causing  a  landslide  that  nearly  wiped  our 
mill  down  into  the  valley.  It  was,  indeed, 
a  narrow  escape  for  us.  If  it  had  not  been 
for  the  burning  cabin,  we  would  have  been 
inclined  to  believe  that  the  thing  had  been 
planned  for  our  destruction. 

The  next  two  days  Hale  and  Toleman 
were  gone.  No  one  knew  where,  but  I  had 
my  suspicions  that  they  were  on  the  trail 
of  a  man  mounted  on  a  mule.  They  returned 
to  camp  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  tired  and 
exhausted,  but  declined  to  talk.  Evidently, 
Cy  was  in  a  very  bad  humor,  so  I  left  him 
alone.  The  next  day  the  two  rode  away 
again,  and  did  not  return  till  the  spring 
thaw,  some  days  later.  The  water  began 
to  run  in  the  ditch  again  now.  Once  more 
the  springs  began  to  flow.  Red  cleaned  his 
boilers,  started  his  fires,  and  got  the  mill 
into  readiness,  and  we  all  prepared  to  go 
to  work  on  a  pile  of  black  ore. 

My  uncle,  however,  had  grown  very  thin 


202        OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

and  pale,  and  I  began  to  worry  about  him, 
for  I  very  often  awoke  in  the  night  of  late, 
always  to  find  him  sitting  in  a  chair  by  the 
fire,  his  head  in  his  hands.  I  knew  he  had 
been  threatened  a  number  of  times,  because 
of  his  court  decisions,  and  Cy  was  sure  this 
was  affecting  him.  Yet  I  alone  suspected 
that  the  real  trouble,  after  all,  was  that  he 
had  come  to  realize,  as  a  result  of  his  own 
assays,  that  our  pile  of  black  pyrites,  upon 
which  we  were  all  setting  such  great  store, 
was  worthless.  I  was  sure  he  was  much 
concerned  about  keeping  the  rest  of  us  hope 
ful  and  helping  us  get  along  till  spring,  when 
we  might  have  better  luck  in  our  prospects. 

We  determined  to  begin  work  at  the  mill 
the  next  Monday.  On  Saturday  two  officers 
appeared  and  asked  for  the  gentleman  who 
had  recently  purchased  our  claim.  We 
showed  them  where  they  could  find  him,  and 
soon  to  our  very  great  astonishment  they 
returned  with  that  gentleman  securely  hand 
cuffed  and  carefully  guarded.  They  asked 
for  a  conference  in  private  with  my  uncle, 
which  was,  of  course,  granted.  We  never 
knew  just  what  happened  in  that  room,  ex 
cept  that  my  uncle  came  out  of  it  penniless. 


DREAMS  BEGIN  TO  FADE     203 

I 
It   seemed  that   our   friend   had   been   the 

cashier  of  an  Eastern  bank,  and  had  em 
bezzled  the  money  with  which  he  purchased 
our  mine.  He  had  come  West  to  get  rich 
with  it  as  a  stake,  expecting  some  day  to 
return  the  stolen  money  from  the  profits. 

When  my  uncle  learned  the  facts,  and  was 
entirely  satisfied  that  the  papers  were 
genuine,  he  at  once  forfeited  the  money  paid 
him,  without  a  protest.  But  from  that  day 
on  he  was  a  broken  man.  His  whole  scheme 
for  us  was  a  failure,  and  he  was  absolutely 
without  funds. 

With  the  coming  of  the  rich  claim  back 
into  our  possession  again,  Hale  and  Tole- 
man  determined  to  work  it,  in  the  hopes 
that  it  would  produce  money  enough  to  carry 
on  the  mill.  They  had  worked  it  just  three 
days,  when  the  pocket  played  out,  and  there 
was  nothing  left  but  hard  cold  granite;  not 
even  quartz. 

Suddenly  we  all  became  discouraged,  but 
not  for  worlds  would  any  of  us  let  any  of 
the  rest  know  just  how  we  felt.  True,  we 
had  perhaps  a  few  hundred  dollars  left  from 
the  pocket.  After  a  long  conference  on  the 
whole  matter,  we  decided  to  put  it  into 


204       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

operating  the  mill,  as  our  very  last  chance. 
We  worked  it  day  and  night,  but  very  soon 
discovered  that  none  of  the  ore  was  rich 
enough  to  pay  for  both  mining  and  milling. 
A  general  gloom  settled  over  the  entire 
camp.  Many  prospectors  began  to  move 
out.  McKee,  the  owner  of  the  only  other 
mill  in  the  gulch,  loaded  it  up  and  dragged 
it  over  the  hills  to  Leadville,  where  a  great 
silver  strike  was  being  made.  We  closed 
our  mill  down  at  the  same  time,  and  that 
threw  Red  out  of  employment.  McKee 
made  him  an  attractive  offer,  and  we  re 
leased  him. 

Evidently,  my  uncle  was  fast  becoming 
a  sick  man,  and  Toleman,  more  than  any 
of  the  rest  of  us,  seemed  to  realize  it.  The 
next  day,  without  telling  us  where  he  was 
going,  he  saddled  his  horse  and  set  out  on  a 
journey.  Late  that  evening  he  returned  with 
an  old  doctor  prospector  from  a  neighboring 
camp.  After  a  thorough  examination,  the 
doctor  said  that  my  uncle  was  a  nervous 
wreck,  and  that  his  only  chance  of  recovery 
was  to  get  out  of  the  high  altitude  at  once. 
There  was  but  one  thing  to  do.  That  was 
to  send  him  back  to  the  States.  To  this, 


DREAMS  BEGIN  TO  FADE     205 

however,  he  firmly  objected,  and  said  he 
would  much  rather  die  in  his  mountain 
cabin  than  risk  the  trip  back  over  the  desolate 
plains  alone.  Bill  Sikes  jumped  at  the  op 
portunity  of  getting  home  too,  and  offered 
to  see  my  uncle  back  for  his  passage  home. 
Of  course  we  agreed,  and  soon  all  details 
had  been  arranged.  The  old  stamp  mill  was 
sold  to  get  the  necessary  funds  for  the  trip — 
that  old  mill  that  we  had  carted  literally  all 
the  way  from  Chicago ;  that  old  mill  that  had 
been  the  focus  of  our  fondest  hopes  and 
dreams,  was  sold  for  a  mere  pittance.  Ap 
parently,  our  whole  enterprise  had  collapsed, 
and  the  golden  halo  that  had  for  ten  long 
months  surrounded  it  had  suddenly  vanished. 
All  that  we  now  had  left  was  our  seasoned 
bodies  and  strong  muscles,  plus  a  year  of 
first-hand  experience. 

Soon  the  gulch  was  almost  deserted,  and 
in  a  few  weeks  it  was  a  rare  thing  to  see  a 
miner  at  work. 

"If  we  could  catch  that  mysterious  rider 
of  a  mule/'  said  Cy,  jokingly,  after  my  uncle 
was  gone,  "we  wouldn't  need  to  mine  any 
longer.  He  must  have  bags  full  of  gold  by 
now.  Hale,  we'll  try  our  pot-hole  again." 


CHAPTER  XVII 

PROSPECTING  THE  CONTINENTAL 
DIVIDE 

THAT  night  we  sat  a  long  time  making 
new  plans,  for,  by  our  own  choice,  Tole- 
man,  Hale,  and  I  were  to  be  left  behind.  As 
we  sat  talking  there  seemed  to  come  to  us 
a  conviction  that,  after  all,  the  hills  would 
yield  a  golden  harvest  for  us,  as  they  had 
done  for  so  many  other  men.  We  decided 
to  form  a  new  company,  giving  my  uncle 
one-fourth  interest  for  his  investment  in  the 
wagon-train  and  for  the  cabin,  tools,  and 
what  few  provisions  remained.  We  made 
the  cabin  our  headquarters,  and  then  began 
a  number  of  extended  prospecting  trips. 

We  were  just  ready  to  start  on  our  first 
trip  when  Joe  Watson,  who  had  been  one  of 
the  best-known  miners  in  the  gulch,  struck 
it  rich.  He  had  come  back  unbeknown 
to  any  one  and  just  gone  to  work  on  an 
abandoned  claim.  He  was  a  quiet,  unassum 
ing  man,  with  quantities  of  nerve  and  lots 
of  determination.  He  had  gone  to  work, 
206 


PROSPECTING  207 

just  as  he  had  a  half  dozen  times  before,  on 
an  inspiration.  He  had  had  many  streaks 
of  good  luck,  and  some  reverses,  in  his  time, 
but  he  was  always  the  same.  When  he 
"struck  it"  he  was  willing  to  share,  and 
when  he  was  broke  he  would  patch  up  his 
old  pants,  borrow  a  pick,  and  go  back  to 
work.  This  time  it  was  the  old  Bob  Cat 
claim,  just  above  us,  that  he  chose.  In  two 
weeks  he  took  out  from  a  narrow  crevice  two 
loads  of  quartz  that  looked  like  rusty  iron. 
He  hauled  it  to  Mountain  City  and  it  pro 
duced  six  thousand  dollars  in  amalgam.  He 
hired  us  all  for  one  week,  which  pleased  us, 
for  we  needed  the  money.  We  got  out  three 
more  loads  from  the  same  crevice,  but  it 
produced  less  than  twenty  dollars  per  load. 

Joe's  rich  strike  created  a  great  deal  of 
excitement,  and  soon  the  camp  was  busy 
again  with  a  new  population  of  tenderfeet 
from  the  East.  Two  strange  men  decided 
to  go  on  through  the  "cap  rock"  of  a  claim 
high  up  .on  the  mountain.  They  struck  it 
rich,  and  actually  took  out  upward  of 
seventy  thousand  dollars  in  gold. 

"Well  strike  it  yet!"  said  Cy,  the  last 
evening  before  we  started  on  our  trip.  "But 


208       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

if  we  don't,  I  believe  I  know  where  there  is 
a  fortune — stolen,  perhaps,  but  which  could 
never  be  returned  to  its  rightful  owners,  for 
they  are  mostly  dead.  If  we  just  can't  strike 
a  rich  lode  or  a  placer,  we'll  look  into  this 
other  matter  a  bit,  anyway." 

Hale  was  about  to  speak,  but  Toleman  in 
terrupted  him. 

"Now,  don't  ask  me  any  questions,  boys — 
no,  not  now.  Just  remember  there  have  been 
no  end  of  robberies  hereabouts  all  winter, 
and  all  that  gold  is  somewhere.  Jerusalem ! 
but  I'll  bet  there  is  a  lot  of  it.  And  the  rob 
ber  rides  a  mule.  It's  easier  for  some  folks 
to  steal  gold  than  dig  it  in  these  hills." 

We  planned  to  take  in  the  new  fields  to  the 
West  in  our  exploring,  and  to  go  over  the 
range,  if  possible,  into  the  wild  regions  of 
the  Middle  Park.  Each  man  carried  his 
own  blankets,  a  bit  of  flour,  bacon,  coffee, 
and  sugar  for  food,  his  pistols  and  rifle  for 
protection,  and  a  shovel  with  which  to  pros 
pect. 

The  first  day  we  walked  up  the  slopes 
through  the  pine  woods  around  the  head  of 
Nevada  Gulch,  and  along  the  high  ridge 
South  of  Bowlder  Valley.  We  camped  for 


PROSPECTING  209 

the  night  just  below  timber  line,  so  as  to 
have  fuel  for  our  fire.  The  trees  kept  grow 
ing  smaller,  until  the  last  ones  were  straggly 
and  much  blown  by  the  cold,  prevailing 
wind.  They  were  all  fantastically  covered 
with  moss,  and  but  a  few  feet  high,  although 
perhaps  hundreds  of  years  old. 

Toward  evening  we  reached  the  summit 
of  a  great  crag,  where  nothing  grew  save  a 
few  tiny  alpine  flowers.  The  peak  was  a 
vast  pile  of  broken  granite,  partly  covered 
with  snow,  and  the  wind  blew  past  in  a  bitter 
biting  gale.  Far  to  the  north,  Long's  Peak 
lifted  her  majestic  head  above  vast  valleys, 
the  details  of  which  were  swallowed  up  in 
the  purple  haze  below. 

We  decided  to  spend  the  night  on  top,  to 
see  a  real  mountain  sunrise,  so  made  us  a 
shelter  of  flat  stones,  which  we  stood  on  edge 
to  cut  the  wind.  The  sunrise  proved  to  be 
a  very  riot  of  colored  clouds,  and  was  by 
long  odds  the  most  wonderful  picture  I  had 
ever  seen.  We  hurried  down  the  peak,  and 
by  ten  o'clock  were  again  among  the  luxuri 
ant  flowers.  We  stopped  to  rest  a  bit,  and 
it  seemed  to  us  that  we  had  just  emerged 
from  fairyland. 


210       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

In  the  yalley  we  stopped  to  carefully  ex 
amine  a  series  of  beaver  dams,  and  about 
noon  came  onto  fresh  bear  tracks.  Toleman 
examined  them  critically,  and  pronounced 
them  "grizzly,"  which  fact  was  made  certain 
by  later  finding  numerous  rubbing  trees 
where  the  great  beast  had  left  his  calling 
card  of  hairs  high  up  on  the  rough  bark  of 
the  pines.  We  did  not  care  to  camp  too 
close  to  such  an  animal,  so  pushed  on  as  far 
down  the  valley  as  possible.  That  night  we 
built  us  a  bed  of  spruce  boughs,  roofing  it 
over  with  thick  branches  hung  on  cross 
poles.  We  discovered,  the  next  day,  that 
we  were  following  an  old  game  trail,  for  in 
places  it  was  fairly  lined  with  whitened 
carcasses  of  buffalo  and  deer.  It  wound 
gently  round  jagged  cliffs,  always  following 
the  line  of  least  resistance,  although  many 
times  we  were  compelled  to  climb  over,  or 
creep  under,  fallen  trees.  It  finally  brought 
us  through  a  low  pass  to  the  headwaters  of 
Clear  Creek,  whence  we  at  once  came  into 
country  we  recognized.  Already  we  were 
coming  onto  prospect  after  prospect,  and 
finally  a  few  straggling  cabins  began  to 
appear. 


PROSPECTING  211 

We  were  certain  that  eventually  we  would 
come  to  the  falls  and  the  pot-holes.  Often 
we  stopped  to  prospect  an  outcrop  of  quartz, 
or  to  examine  a  lode,  but  found  nothing  that 
looked  good  to  us.  However,  game  was 
very  plentiful  and  the  stream  abounded  with 
speckled  trout,  so  we  were  content  to  camp 
a  few  days  and  rest.  The  second  day  on 
Clear  Creek,  Cy  came  into  camp  about  eve 
ning  dragging  the  hind  quarters  of  a  black 
bear,  and  early  next  morning  Hale  stalked 
a  splendid  elk,  so  we  agreed  to  camp  and 
eat  our  choice  cuts. 

"The  stream  is  very  low,"  commented 
Hale  at  the  fire  that  evening.  "I  suppose 
it  is  because  of  the  very  hot  season.  I've 
just  been  thinking  what  a  good  time  it  would 
be  to  prospect  the  pot-holes.  I  don't  believe 
the  water  in  them  would  be  over  waist  deep 
just  now." 

"We  can't  do  that,  Hale,  without  jumping 
the  claim,"  said  Toleman.  "That  would 
completely  spoil  my  best  scheme  too." 

"Your  best  scheme!"  said  Hale,  in  sur 
prise.  "Come,  you  aren't  keeping  secrets, 
are  you?  Tell  us  of  this  latest  idea." 

Cy  declined  just  then,  explaining  that  it 


212       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

was  a  mere  idea  yet,  and  that  there  might 
be  nothing  to  it,  promising,  however,  to 
"take  us  in"  as  soon  as  he  was  satisfied  that 
his  theory  was  sound. 

"I  think/'  he  said,  "that  before  we  waste 
any  time  jumping  the  pot-holes,  we  better 
prospect  some  of  these  sandbars  above  the 
falls.  If  we  can't  pan  good  color  up  here, 
I  doubt  very  much  if  there  is  anything  in 
your  pot-holes,  after  all." 

"A  good  idea,"  said  Hale,  "a  very  good 
one.  Let's  get  at  it  to-day.  I  suggest  that 
we  divide  up:  one  work  here  on  this  bar; 
Clayton,  you  go  down  to  the  next  one  that 
looks  promising;  and,  Cy,  you  take  a  look 
upstream." 

"But  what  are  you  going  to  pan  with?" 
said  I,  at  a  loss  to  know  how  to  begin. 

"That's  so,"  said  Hale.  "I  hadn't  thought 
of  that.  I  brought  one  old  pan  with  me,  but 
three  can't  use  it  at  once." 

"I  saw  an  old  pan  hanging  in  a  tree  this 
morning,  over  where  I  shot  that  bear,"  said 
Cy.  "It's  only  a  little  ways.  I'll  go  after 
it,  for  it  was  a  big  heavy  one." 

"That  was  upstream,  wasn't  it,  Cy?"  ques 
tioned  Hale.  Cy  nodded.  "Well,  then,"  my 


PROSPECTING  213 

brother  continued,  "why  don't  you  put  in  a 
little  time  up  there?  I'll  go  downstream 
to  the  head  of  the  falls  and  see  what  I  can 
find.  We'll  let  Clayt  stay  right  here  to  keep 
camp.  We  would  hate  to  lose  this  fresh 
meat,  and  Clayt  can  get  dinner." 

So  it  was  agreed,  and  both  men  set  off, 
each  taking  his  rifle  and  shovel  with  him. 
They  were  to  return  to  camp  at  noon,  for 
dinner  and  to  report.  I  busied  myself  about 
the  camp  and  started  the  noonday  meal,  but 
for  some  reason  I  felt  a  bit  uneasy.  I  was 
not  a  coward  by  any  means,  but  I  had  a 
horror  of  being  left  alone  in  a  desolate, 
lonely  place.  Accordingly,  I  began  to  sing 
a  bit,  or  to  whistle,  for  some  sort  of  noise 
of  my  own  making  seemed  to  comfort  me. 
The  morning  wore  away  very  slowly.  Twice 
I  thought  I  had  faintly  heard  the  sound  of 
a  galloping  horse,  but  made  up  my  mind  that 
it  was  only  the  stream  talking  to  me,  for 
after  that  I  heard  all  sorts  of  voices,  all  the 
way  from  the  cry  of  a  distressed  child  to  the 
angry  roar  of  an  enraged  miner;  but,  of 
course,  all  was  mere  fancy. 

Shortly  before  noon,  Hale  came  jogging 
along  upstream,  whistling  a  merry  tune.  I 


214       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

knew  it  was  a  good  sign.  In  his  hands  he 
carried  nothing  but  his  rifle,  but  instinctively 
I  realized  that  he  had  struck  it  rich.  As 
soon  as  he  saw  me,  he  set  up  such  a  joyous 
shout  that  I  hurried  out  to  meet  him. 

"We  have  struck  it!  We  have  struck  it 
at  last,  Clayt!"  he  cried.  "Pocket  after 
pocket  of  it  in  midstream.  This  stream  is 
full  of  tiny  pot-holes  in  the  bed  rock,  and 
each  one  is  filled  with  black  silt.  The  silt 
is  full  of  gold.  Hurrah !  hurrah !  And  we 
have  it  all  to  ourselves!  Where's  Cy? 
Hasn't  he  returned  yet?  Just  take  a  peep 
at  these,  boy,"  and  he  pulled  from  his  pocket 
seven  nuggets,  each  about  as  big  as  a  good 
sized  bean.  "We  camp  right  here,"  he 
laughed  in  high  glee,  "and  live  on  elk  tender 
loin  and  bear  steak,  while  we  pan  out  a  ton 
or  two  of  nuggets.  I  wonder  what  uncle 
Herman  would  think  of  a  dish  full  like  this. 
It's  odd,  I  think,  that  Cy  has  not  come  in  to 
dinner.  I'll  warrant  he  has  struck  it  rich 
too,  and  hates  to  leave,  even  to  eat.  My, 
but  I  wish  we  had  an  ax  and  a  few  tools,  so 
we  could  build  a  cradle  and  some  sort  of  a 
shanty. 

"We  must  be  sure  to  not  let  anyone  catch 


PROSPECTING  215 

us  at  the  panning.  If  we  have  visitors,  to 
all  intents  and  purposes  we  are  just  hunting 
and  fishing.  We'll  pan  a  few  days,  till  we 
have  enough  dust  to  buy  a  new  outfit,  and 
then  one  of  us  must  walk  into  Mountain  City 
and  buy  a  pair  of  pack  animals,  some  sup 
plies,  a  few  tools,  and  get  more  ammuni 
tion/' 

So  we  sat,  and  planned  and  talked,  for 
nearly  an  hour,  and  still  Cy  did  not  come. 

"He  must  be  finding  it  in  handfuls,  or  else 
something  has  happened  to  him,"  said  Hale. 
"You  did  not  hear  any  shots  during  the 
morning,  did  you?" 

I  told  him  that  I  had  heard  everything 
imaginable,  but  felt  sure  that  all  I  had  heard 
was  only  the  music  of  the  stream. 

"I'm  going  to  take  a  little  look  around," 
he  said.  So,  picking  up  a  bit  of  cold  meat 
in  one  hand  and  his  rifle  in  the  other,  he 
started  off  upstream,  telling  me  to  prepare 
the  dinner,  and  that  he  would  soon  bring 
Cy  back  with  him. 

I  set  to  my  task,  and  in  half  an  hour  had 
everything  under  way.  I  waited  an  hour, 
and  still  no  one  came,  and  when  it  became 
two  o'clock  I  was  certain  something  had 


216       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

gone  wrong.  Unable  to  sit  idly  by  any 
longer,  I  set  out  upstream,  going  cautiously 
to  see  if  I  could  see  or  hear  anything  of  them. 
A  great  silence  seemed  to  have  settled  in  the 
valley,  and  time  after  time  a  chain  of  cold 
shivers  ran  up  my  back.  Yet  I  saw  nothing 
or  heard  nothing.  At  last  I  sat  down  to 
rest  and  think,  every  added  moment  only 
serving  to  agitate  me  the  more.  I  must 
go  on! 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
A  MYSTERIOUS  ATTACK 

1WAS  thoroughly  excited  now,  and  a 
thousand  fears  rushed  into  my  mind.  I 
hurried  on,  almost  running  along  the 
stream,  for  another  thirty  minutes,  when 
suddenly  I  heard  a  faint  "Hello!"  I 
stopped  to  listen.  Then  I  was  certain  that 
it  was  not  upstream,  but  off  to  one  side  in 
the  brush.  I  worked  myself  nearer,  and 
finally  caught  a  glimpse  of  Hale  as  he  rose 
above  a  clump  of  low  spruce.  He  saw  me 
too,  and  waved  his  hat.  Then  disappeared 
again.  My  heart  beat  wildly  as  I  hurried 
on.  At  last  I  came  to  where  Hale  stood, 
trembling.  His  face  was  savage,  and  the 
perspiration  ran  from  his  forehead  in 
streams. 

"Did  you  see  anybody?"  he  breathed, 
eagerly. 

"Not  a  soul,"  I  said,  then  added: 

"Where  is  Toleman?" 

"Gone!"  whispered  Hale.  "All  I  could 
217 


2i8       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

find  of  him  was  where  he  had  been  at  work 
in  the  bed  of  the  stream.  His  pan  and  shovel 
were  there  on  the  bank,  and  fresh  horse  or 
mule  prints  were  in  the  sand.  I  thought 
there  were  signs  of  a  struggle,  but  I  wasn't 
sure.  I  called  and  called,  but  got  no  answer. 
Farther  on  I  discovered  blood  on  the  gravel. 
I  picked  up  the  trail  of  the  horse  and  followed 
it.  It  wound  round  and  round,  up  one  side 
of  the  stream  and  then  down  the  other,  but 
always  well  back  in  the  low  trees  and  brush. 
Finally  it  led  off  to  this  strata  of  granite,  and 
I  cannot  find  it  from  here.  Clayt,"  he  said, 
looking  me  straight  in  the  eye,  "Cy  has  been 
shot  from  ambush,  and  his  body  dropped  into 
some  of  these  ledges  of  granite,  or  taken 
away.  We  have  got  to  find  him.  Where  is 
your  gun?" 

"My  gun?"  I  breathed.  "Why,  I  left  it  at 
camp,  of  course.  I  only  meant  to  come  a 
little  way  to  tell  you  to  hurry." 

"Greenhorn!"  breathed  Hale  in  disgust, 
"to  leave  your  gun  behind  in  a  country  like 
this,  with  Jake  Henderson  running  wild 
in  it." 

"Jake  Henderson !"  I  echoed.  "If  it  was 
Jake,  then  he  has  gotten  Cy  at  last.  He 


A  MYSTERIOUS  ATTACK      219 

swore  he  would,  you  remember.  What  shall 
we  do?" 

"I  think  there  were  two  of  them,"  added 
Hale.  "The  trails  don't  match.  We'll  go 
back  at  once  and  get  your  rifle  and  all  our 
extra  ammunition.  We  will  then  return  and 
run  this  trail  down,  if  possible.  We  will 
hunt  till  night,  and  if  we  do  not  find  Cy  I'm 
going  down  over  the  falls  after  dark  and 
shoot  up  that  shanty  and  everybody  that's 
in  it — Scotchman,  mule,  pony,  Jake,  and  all, 
if  he's  there." 

We  hastened  back,  wild  with  excitement, 
forgetting  we  were  hungry.  True  to  Hale's 
prediction,  we  found  my  rifle  and  both 
pistols  gone,  as  well  as  every  bit  of  extra 
ammunition.  Our  blankets  had  been  tossed 
onto  the  fire,  and  our  provision  bags  either 
hidden  or  stolen,  for  we  could  find  no  trace 
of  them.  Fortunately,  the  two  hind  quarters 
of  elk,  that  had  been  hung  on  a  cross  pole 
back  of  a  thick  spruce,  had  missed  the  rob 
ber's  gaze. 

Hale's  rage  knew  no  bounds.  All  I  could 
do  was  to  obey  orders  and  follow.  He  gave 
me  one  of  his  pistols  and  a  dozen  rounds, 
with  the  sharp  orders  not  to  waste  a  single 


220       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

shot.  We  returned  again  to  where  the  trail 
was  lost  on  the  granite  and  then  separated, 
each  to  investigate,  agreeing  to  return  at 
sundown,  if  we  found  nothing,  and  to  shoot 
twice  in  rapid  succession  if  either  of  us 
found  any  clue  or  needed  help.  We  scoured 
the  mountain  eagerly  for  hours.  Twice  I 
found  a  few  tracks,  but  they  were  larger 
than  the  ones  Hale  had  shown  me.  Hale 
had  guessed  that  the  rider  had  followed  the 
granite  ledge  as  far  as  possible,  because  it 
was  open  and  unobstructed.  It  so  happened 
that  it  finally  led  to  the  stream,  so  gave  no 
further  clue. 

At  sundown  we  both  returned,  weary  and 
worn  and  discouraged,  but  with  no  new  in 
formation  whatever.  Cy  was  gone  as  com 
pletely  as  if  the  ground  had  swallowed  him 
up.  We  built  us  a  tiny  fire  and  fed  it  care 
fully  so  as  not  to  make  any  more  smoke  than 
was  necessary.  We  decided  to  roast  a  bit 
of  meat,  and  then  put  out  our  fire  before 
night,  and  as  we  did  not  know  at  what  mo 
ment  we  might  be  fired  upon  from  am 
bush,  we  ate  in  silence,  carefully  avoiding 
any  stir. 

"I'm  going  up  to  the  top  of  that  point  to 


A  MYSTERIOUS  ATTACK      221 

see  if  perchance  there  is  smoke  anywhere 
and  to  see  if  any  of  our  own  smoke  is  hang 
ing  in  the  valley/'  said  Hale.  But,  when 
a  hundred  yards  away,  he  turned  and  came 
back.  "I  think  it  will  be  better  to  stay  to 
gether,"  he  said.  "If  we  are  shot  from 
ambush,  then  we  will  at  least  know  where 
the  other  is.  If  we  had  stayed  together  this 
morning,  no  doubt  we  would  know  where 
Cy  is  to-night.  I  can't  believe  that  he  is 
dead.  He  was  too  handy  with  his  gun  to 
be  caught  napping.  If  he  still  lives,  we'll 
find  him  in  time." 

We  climbed  in  silence,  and  at  last  reached 
the  top  of  a  jagged  slivered  granite  stratum, 
from  which  we  could  see  most  of  the  valley. 
There  was  no  smoke  that  we  could  see  any 
where.  The  valley  was  absolutely  still,  and 
was  as  wild  as  if  man  had  never  stepped 
into  it.  We  sat  watching  the  sunset  on  the 
distant  peaks  to  the  West,  each  lost  in  his 
own  thoughts,  when  Hale  suddenly  pinched 
my  arm  and  pointed  into  the  sky.  I  looked, 
and  there,  circling  above  a  series  of  jagged 
crevices  above  us,  swung  two  great  birds. 
They  were  too  high  for  us  to  tell  whether 
they  were  eagles  or  vultures. 


222       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

"There  is  meat  among  those  crags  some 
where/'  cried  Hale  "It's  a  chance.  Let's 
go.  It  is  an  hour  before  dark." 

He  set  off  at  a  furious  pace,  and  although 
I  was  dog  tired,  I  followed  closely.  The  top 
of  the  hill  had  been  burned  over  years  be 
fore,  and  as  a  result  was  covered  with  sea 
soned  fragments  of  pine  that  were  nearly 
pure  pitch.  It  was  too  dark  to  see  over  the 
edge,  but  Hale  was  determined.  So,  choos 
ing  a  choice  bit  of  pine,  he  sat  down  and 
whittled  the  end  with  his  hunting  knife,  so 
that  he  could  ignite  it  easily  with  a  match. 
In  a  few  moments  he  had  made  a  crude 
torch.  Bidding  me  gather  a  few  bits  of 
wood  for  a  fire,  he  left  me,  with  orders  to 
come  to  him  if  he  shot  his  pistol;  if  not,  to 
wait  for  him  till  daylight.  I  gathered  my 
wood  and  prepared  it  ready  to  burn,  fuming 
the  while  because  nature  had  so  slighted  me 
with  a  puny  body,  void  of  muscle  and  endur 
ance.  I  was  so  weary  I  could  have  cried  out, 
and  I  confess  that  in  that  hour  I  almost 
wished  that  I  was  back  in  my  mother's  little 
cottage,  seated  in  my  big  armchair  by  the 
window,  instead  of  in  the  heart  of  Colorado 
Rockies,  hunting  gold. 


A  MYSTERIOUS  ATTACK      223 

I  heard  a  faint  sound.  I  jumped  to  my 
feet  and  listened.  Yes,  I  heard  Hale  calling 
me.  Snatching  a  good  piece  of  the  fat  pine, 
I  lighted  it  with  trembling  hands  and  started 
toward  him.  Just  how  I  got  there,  I  never 
knew,  but  in  a  few  moments  I  stood  before 
a  crude  shelter  built  against  a  protruding 
stratum.  In  front  was  a  little  stone  fire 
place,  and  back  in  the  corner  of  the  hut  was 
a  crude  bunk  of  pine  boughs.  I  could  see 
fresh  horse  prints  on  the  little  trail  that 
wound  over  the  cliff,  apparently  from  the 
valley  below.  Hale  was  bending  over  the 
form  of  a  man  in  the  corner.  I  hurried  to 
him,  and  gazed  into  the  face  of  Cy,  but  his 
eyes  were  closed  and  his  arms  lay  limp. 

"Is  he  dead?"  I  breathed. 

"No,"  said  Hale,  "but  he  is  badly  hurt. 
He  is  shot  through  the  abdomen,  and  the 
bullet  entered  from  the  back.  Evidently,  he 
was  shot  as  he  washed  gold  at  the  stream. 
How  they  ever  got  him  here,  and  for  what 
reason,  I  don't  know.  We  must  have  water. 
I  must  go  for  it  at  once.  No  doubt  there  is 
a  spring  hereabouts,  or  else  this  cavehouse 
would  be  uninhabitable.  But  I  probably 
can't  find  it  to-night.  If  I  keep  to  this  nar- 


224       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

row  trail,  I  can  find  my  way  to  the  stream, 
but  can  I  find  my  way  back  to  you  again  ? 

"Either  the  man  who  brought  Cy  here, 
or  the  horse  that  carried  him,  is  also  shot, 
for  there  is  more  blood  about  than  ever  came 
from  Cy's  wound.  Evidently,  he  is  gone, 
but  may  return  here  any  minute,  so  we  must 
watch.  I'm  going  to  take  this  old  canteen 
and  go  for  water,  and  leave  you  my  rifle.  I 
want  you  to  sit  on  that  rock  yonder  and 
guard  this  hut.  If  any  one  crosses,  shoot, 
but  take  care  and  don't  shoot  me.  As  I 
draw  near,  I  will  call  to  you.  If  I  should 
not  return  in  two  hours,  you  will  know  I 
have  lost  my  way  and  must  wait  for  day 
light.  Mind  what  I  say,  don't  leave  your 
post,  and  don't  sleep,  not  even  for  a  second. 
Cy's  very  life  depends  upon  it.  If  he  wakes, 
speak  to  him,  but  don't  go  in."  In  a  second 
Hale  was  gone. 

I  took  my  post,  my  pistol  ready  and  Hale's 
rifle  across  my  knees.  I  could  hear  my  own 
heart  beating  wildly  as  I  sat  there.  By  and 
by  I  heard  some  movement  on  the  ledge 
above  me.  I  trained  the  rifle  on  the  spot 
and  waited.  It  sounded  more  like  an  animal 
than  anything  else.  I  think  I  sat  in  that 


A  MYSTERIOUS  ATTACK      225 

strained  position  for  hours,  until  my  arms 
ached.  The  night  was  absolutely  silent.  I 
think  it  must  have  been  nearly  morning  when 
I  heard  a  voice,  as  plain  as  day,  just  as  if 
it  were  behind  me,  say,  "Clayt !  Clayt !"  Up 
to  that  instant  I  had  heard  nothing,  and  I 
am  certain  I  had  not  been  asleep. 

I  answered,  and  in  a  moment  or  two  Hale, 
his  hands  bleeding  and  himself  almost  ex 
hausted,  climbed  up  over  the  rock  just  back 
of  me.  Strapped  to  his  belt  was  the  precious 
canteen  of  water.  My  own  throat  was  dry 
and  parched,  but  I  dared  not  drink,  for  that 
water  was  for  Cy.  Carefully  Hale  pressed 
the  tin  to  his  lips,  taking  care  to  catch  the 
overflow  in  his  bandana  handkerchief.  With 
this  he  gently  mopped  the  wounded  man's 
face  and  neck,  and  then  forced  more  drink 
into  his  mouth.  At  last  Cy  stirred  a  bit  and 
turned  restlessly  to  one  side.  Evidently  he 
was  in  great  pain.  Hale  cried  with  joy,  and 
before  long  I  was  sniffling  too.  Slowly  he 
opened  his  eyes,  gazing  at  us  at  first  a  bit 
uncertainly,  then,  as  he  caught  sight  of 
Hale,  he  said,  in  a  voice  I  can  never  forget: 

"I  knew  you  would  come,  old  pal."  And 
then  he  closed  his  eyes  again  and  sighed. 


226       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

Almost  instantly  he  seemed  to  relax  and  feel 
more  comfortable. 

With  tears  streaming  down  his  face,  Hale 
came  over  to  me  and  said,  simply:  "Now 
you  can  sleep,  Clayt.  I'll  watch  till  morn 
ing;  then  you  can  relieve  me." 

I  stretched  myself  on  the  bare  hard  rocks 
and  was  asleep  in  an  instant — physically, 
nervously  exhausted,  but  happy  that  we  had 
found  old  Cy.  The  price  that  we  had  paid 
was  not  too  great. 


CHAPTER  XIX 
FATE  SETTLES  A  SCORE 

THE  sun  was  high  when  Hale  wakened 
me.    He  looked  so  tired  and  worn  that 
he  frightened  me.     Seeing  my  anxiety,  he 
smiled  and  said : 

"Clayt,  now  I  can  sleep  just  two  hours, 
and  then  make  me  get  up,  for  I  must  go 
down  after  that  meat  and  more  water.  We 
cannot  move  Cy  till  afternoon,  and  mean 
time  we  must  not  both  be  gone  at  once. 
Shoot  if  anyone  comes  near."  He  lay  down 
and  was  soon  dead  asleep. 

As  I  sat  guard,  I  saw  the  two  eagles  of 
the  evening  before  hovering  above,  and  then 
I  knew  that  there  must  be  a  nest,  for  they 
came  again  and  again,  each  time  with  food. 
By  climbing  high  up,  I  could  look  down  into 
the  crude  pile  of  sticks  and  mud  and  litter 
of  white  bones.  Someway  I  felt  strongly 
drawn  to  the  birds,  for  if  it  had  not  been 
for  them  it  is  doubtful  if  we  would  ever  have 
found  Cy  at  all. 

227 


228       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

After  two  big  hours  I  reluctantly  roused 
Hale.  When  he  awoke  he  was  a  different 
man.  After  giving  Cy  more  drink,  and 
bathing  him  carefully  again,  he  took  the 
empty  canteen  and  began  to  search  the  cliff 
for  the  spring  that  he  felt  sure  must  be 
somewhere  near.  His  common  sense  aided 
him  in  searching  the  many  crevices,  and 
soon  his  search  was  rewarded.  To  be  sure, 
it  was  nothing  but  a  tiny  trickle  of  water, 
but  it  was  cold  and  clear.  He  drank  deeply 
himself,  then  brought  me  a  canteen  full,  re 
turning  for  more  for  Cy.  When  he  came 
back  the  second  time  Cy  lay  with  his  eyes 
wide  open,  the  old  smile  playing  feebly  about 
his  mouth. 

"Nearly  got  me,  Hale,"  he  whispered. 
"But  I'm  sure  I  potted  them  both  before  I 
completely  lost  my  senses.  I  played  'possum, 
and  when  the  one  came  to  load  me  on  his 
horse  (I  thought  at  first  that  he  meant  to 
leave  me  to  die,  but  he  changed  his  mind) 
I  pulled  my  derringer  from  my  sleeve  and 
shot  twice.  The  first  went  into  the  horse's 
flank,  the  second,  I  am  sure,  went  into  the 
scoundrel's  leg.  He  snatched  my  gun  and 
threw  it  away,  or  Fd  have  gotten  Jake,  who, 


FATE  SETTLES  A  SCORE      229 

seeing  our  struggle,  crossed  over  the  stream 
to  help. 

"  Til  take  him  to  the  cave/  said  the  first 
man,  'and  you  go  downstream  and  get  the 
rest/  That's  all  I  remember.  I  tried  to 
recognize  him,  but  could  not,  on  account  of 
the  heavy  beard;  but  as  I  think  of  it  now, 
I  am  positive  it  was  the  gambler  that  killed 
Switzer.  You  mind,  he  said  he  would  get 
me.  He  is  mining  somewhere,  for  he  had 
two  sharp  drills  with  him.  I  don't  believe 
he  knew  who  I  was  at  first,  but  just  feared 
I  would  discover  his  claim.  You  know, 
Hale,  I  believe  he  found  Switzer's  mine, 
after  all.  Tell  me  how  you  boys  got  here, 
and  where  are  we  anyway  ?" 

Hale  told  him  carefully  about  the  events 
of  the  day  before,  ending  his  story  by  pulling 
the  handfuls  of  nuggets  from  his  own  pocket 
and  holding  them  before  Cy's  face.  Cy 
smiled,  and  then  said: 

"I  had  some  too,  boys,  just  like  them ;  but 
when  I  was  shot  I  threw  them  away.  I 
didn't  want  my  captor  to  know  I  had  struck 
it.  He  shot  me  in  the  back  as  I  worked.  I 
didn't  see  him  at  first.  I  only  saw  the  rider 
on  the  far  side  of  the  stream.  I  blazed 


230       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

away,  but  I  was  too  stunned  for  good  aim 
ing.  They  seemed  to  be  sort  of  patrolling 
both  sides  of  the  stream.  I  suppose  as  fast 
as  a  prospector  puts  in  his  appearance  they 
pot  him.  We  fooled  them  by  coming  in 
from  up  the  valley.  They  must  have  some 
thing  pretty  good,  or  else  they  are  the  rob 
bers  who  have  been  working  in  the  valley 
all  winter  and  this  is  their  retreat.  One  of 
them  rides  a  mule." 

"The  question  is,"  said  Hale,  "what  is  to 
be  done  with  you  now?  We  have  got  to 
move  to  some  other  shelter,  and  then  lay  for 
the  scoundrel  when  he  comes  back  to  see 
you." 

"I  don't  believe  he  will  come  back,"  said 
Cy.  "He  probably  knows  by  now  that  you 
two  are  at  large  and  on  the  lookout.  A 
coward  never  takes  any  chances,  and  he 
probably  thinks  me  dead." 

"We  must  build  a  fire,  cleanse  that  wound 
with  hot  water,  cook  a  bit  of  food,  and  pre 
pare  for  a  long  stay,"  said  Hale.  "As  soon 
as  possible,  one  of  us  must  go  to  Mountain 
City  for  iodine  and  more  ammunition,  also 
some  tools.  Ours  are  all  gone.  I'll  go  scout 
ing,  and  if  I  can  find  a  good  shelter,  we'll 


FATE  SETTLES  A  SCORE      231 

move  this  pile  of  boughs  to  it  and  burn  the 
rest.  By  not  having  to  cut  fresh  boughs  it 
will  be  difficult  to  find  us.  This  granite 
gives  away  no  trails,  and  by  careful  watch 
ing  we  would  be  safe  for  days.  We  have 
a  week's  meat  in  the  valley." 

In  half  an  hour  he  came  back,  and  we  were 
able  to  tell  from  his  face  that  he  had  found 
a  suitable  place.  We  gently  rolled  Cy  to  one 
side,  while  we  moved  the  boughs.  In  an 
hour  we  had  the  bulk  of  them  in  our  new 
cave,  and  also  the  half  dozen  tin  cans  and 
the  little  fry  pan  that  had  been  the  cooking 
equipment  of  the  camp.  We  then  built  a 
small  fire,  cleaned  the  cans,  and  put  water 
on  to  boil.  Hale  cut  away  a  sleeve  from  his 
own  underclothes  and,  after  boiling  it,  dried 
it  in  the  warm  sun.  We  then  carefully  re 
moved  the  bloody  clothing  from  Cy's  back 
and  gently  bathed  the  wound.  I  noted  that 
Hale's  face  grew  very  grave,  and  he  shook 
his  head  doubtfully.  By  night  we  had  Cy 
moved  (although  we  were  almost  certain 
that  the  moving  would  kill  him),  and  had 
the  two  pieces  of  fresh  meat  carried  up  from 
the  valley.  Hale  also  brought  both  of  the 
gold  pans  back  up  with  him,  Cy's  did  very 


232       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

well  to  keep  a  supply  of  fresh  water  in,  while 
Kale's  made  a  suitable  frying  pan.  Hale 
cut  a  little  of  the  meat  into  small  cubes,  and 
after  carefully  washing  it,  stewed  it  in  the 
best  one  of  the  cans,  giving  Cy  the  soup. 
He  seemed  to  greatly  relish  it,  and  soon 
afterward  fell  asleep  again. 

"We  will  each  sleep  half  the  night/'  said 
Hale.  "You  first,  for  at  daybreak  I  must 
be  off.  I  am  going  to  Mountain  City.  By 
very  hard  marching  I  can  make  it  by  night. 
I  am  going  to  sell  the  secret  of  the  new 
placer,  and  bring  a  doctor  back  here  with 
me,  if  I  have  to  kidnap  one.  If  he  will  let 
us  move  Cy,  well  make  a  litter,  carry  him 
down  the  mountain,  and  move  him  to  our 
cabin  by  the  old  mill.  He  has  no  chance 
whatever  of  recovery  here.  If  I  do  well  in 
selling  the  placer,  I'll  offer  a  reward  for 
those  two  scoundrels  or  the  wounded  horse; 
and  if  I  get  stuck  on  the  placer,  I  still  have 
the  big  nugget  that  Jake  took  from  Keats  a 
year  ago.  It  got  me  into  trouble,  perhaps 
it  can  get  me  out/'  At  daylight  he  started 
down  the  mountain,  warning  me  to  be  con 
stantly  on  the  alert  for  danger. 

Once    in    Leavenworth    Gulch,    he   went 


FATE  SETTLES  A  SCORE      233 

straight  to  Joe  Watson  and  told  him  of  our 
great  misfortune,  also  of  the  rich  new  placer. 
Joe  loaned  him  five  hundred  dollars  in  dust, 
and  urged  him  not  to  sell  the  placer  secret, 
but  to  keep  still,  at  least  for  a  time.  He 
then  hitched  up  his  own  old  horses  and  drove 
Hale  on  into  Mountain  City.  They  went 
straight  to  the  doctor  miner  who  had  sent 
my  uncle  back  to  the  States,  and,  laying  a 
bag  of  dust  before  him,  Joe  said:  "Colonel, 
I  want  you  to  go  with  us  on  a  little  trip,  and 
if  you  bring  this  wounded  friend  of  mine 
through  alive,  I'll  have  another  bag  for  you 
just  like  it." 

At  daybreak  they  had  started  back,  but 
not  till  Hale  had  posted  his  notice  of  reward 
for  information  leading  to  the  gambler  and 
to  Jake  Henderson's  arrest.  This  was  the 
first  of  many  such  notices  to  be  posted  in 
the  camp,  and  it  caused  a  sensation.  By  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon  the  three  reached 
the  bottom  of  the  cliff,  and  Joe  stood  guard 
over  the  rig  while  Hale  and  the  doctor 
climbed  to  the  cliff.  The  old  Colonel  made 
a  careful  examination,  redressed  the  wound, 
and  assured  us  that  Cy  would  get  better  if 
blood  poison  did  not  set  in.  That  evening 


234       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

they  rejoiced  about  the  fire,  while  I  relieved 
Joe  at  the  rig,  so  he  could  go  up  to  see  Cy. 

The  next  day  we  had  the  poor  fellow 
safely  moved  to  our  old  cabin  in  the  gulch. 
I  was,  of  course,  detailed  to  care  for  him 
while  Hale  went  out  to  support  us.  I  had 
no  fear  that  he  would  fail  in  this  undertak 
ing,  especially  when  Cy  Toleman's  life  and 
chances  depended  upon  it.  Taking  a  few 
tools  and  provisions,  along  with  plenty  of 
fire  arms,  he  persuaded  Joe  to  go  with  him 
to  work  the  new  placer,  incidentally  to  see 
if  they  could  get  any  trace  of  the  gambler 
or  of  Jake.  After  three  days  of  unmolested 
work,  Hale  rode  back  to  tell  us  of  their  good 
fortune,  and  to  leave  the  dust  and  nuggets 
secured,  for  it  was  fast  accumulating.  The 
next  week  he  brought  in  seventy  ounces  of 
dust  and  thirteen  good  nuggets;  but  there 
had  been  many  visitors,  and  he  was  certain 
they  could  not  hold  the  discovery  secret 
much  longer.  Accordingly,  Joe  had  sug 
gested  that  they  take  a  large  number  of  ore 
sacks,  shovel  them  full  of  the  black  silt  from 
the  best  pockets  in  the  bed  rock,  and  stack 
them  up  in  camp  against  the  day  of  a  big 
rush. 


FATE  SETTLES  A  SCORE      235 

Hale  accordingly  brought  in  what  treasure 
they  had,  and  went  out  to  purchase  ore 
sacks.  When  he  had  upward  of  a  hundred 
he  started  back,  but,  because  he  had  created 
some  excitement  by  his  purchase,  and  so  that 
no  one  would  follow  him,  he  decided  to  take 
the  bags  south  in  the  main  valley  and  then 
go  back  to  camp  empty,  then  on  the  morrow 
take  a  pack  horse  and  go  over  the  ridge  on 
the  trail  past  the  cave,  and  bring  in  the  sacks 
that  way.  However,  he  had  not  gone  far 
before  he  was  certain  that  he  was  being 
followed.  He  camped,  and  that  evening 
struck  what  appeared  to  be  a  game  trail  that 
led  back  into  a  side  valley.  When  well  back 
into  the  canon  he  sighted  an  apparently  de 
serted  cabin,  and  thought  he  might  leave  his 
bags  there  with  safety,  so  went  to  investi 
gate 

As  he  drew  nearer  he  was  startled  to  hear 
a  horse  neigh  from  the  lean-to  shelter  that 
had  been  used  for  a  barn.  He  found  there, 
to  his  intense  excitement,  a  poor  brute  that 
was  in  a  very  bad  condition  from  a  bad 
wound  in  the  flank.  It  had  had  no  attention, 
and  the  flies  had  so  badly  infected  it  that  the 
animal  was  suffering  terribly.  Apparently, 


236       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

it  had  had  no  food  nor  water  for  days,  and 
was  tied  too  securely  to  gain  its  own  free 
dom. 

Instantly  Hale  realized  what  he  had  dis 
covered,  and  at  once  became  alert.  Under 
cover  of  darkness,  he  sneaked  to  the  cabin 
and,  being  satisfied  that  there  was  no  one 
there,  he  entered,  struck  a  match  and  looked 
around.  His  eyes  caught  sight  of  a  dis 
ordered  bundle  in  the  bunk,  and  upon  ex 
amination  he  found  it  to  be  a  dead  man. 
Finding  a  bit  of  a  candle,  he  lighted  it  and 
began  to  look  around.  In  the  corner  stood 
two  rifles,  one  of  which  was  Toleman's.  On 
a  peg  in  the  corner  hung,  without  a  ques 
tion  of  a  doubt,  the  suit  of  black  clothes 
and  the  hat  Hale  had  seen  on  the  gambler 
that  winter's  day  in  Switzer's  blacksmith 
shop. 

Close  examination  of  the  dead  man 
showed  a  nasty  tear  in  the  left  leg,  in  which 
gangrene  had  already  set  in.  Both  legs 
were  badly  swollen,  and  gave  every  indica 
tion  of  severe  blood  poisoning.  The  bunk 
and  body  were  simply  alive  with  vermin,  and 
at  one  end  of  the  bunk  was  a  new  rat's  nest, 
built  from  portions  of  the  covers.  Fate  had 


FATE  SETTLES  A  SCORE      237 

at  last  avenged  the  death  of  the  innocent 
blacksmith. 

Hale  camped  outside,  and  in  the  morn 
ing  put  the  horse  out  of  its  misery.  He  then 
packed  his  bags  well  back  up  the  valley,  and 
in  so  doing  very  soon  realized  he  was  near 
the  cliff  where  Cy  had  lain.  He  carefully 
determined  just  where  he  was,  then  took  the 
line  of  least  resistance  over  the  ridge.  He 
was  not  surprised  to  find  the  little  trail  lead 
ing  to  the  cliff  cave.  He  carefully  hid  his 
load  of  sacks  well  back  from  the  cabin,  took 
Toleman's  rifle  and  the  gambler's  pistols, 
and  slowly  returned  to  the  city.  Avoiding 
all  men,  he  started  at  once  for  the  new 
placer,  to  talk  things  over  with  Joe.  Both 
felt  tremendously  relieved  to  know  that  one, 
at  least,  of  their  adversaries  was  out  of  the 
way.  What  could  possibly  have  become  of 
Jake,  was  what  really  bothered  them.  Could 
it  be  that  he  too  was  wounded,  or  was  he 
just  waiting  his  chance  now  for  a  fatal  shot  ? 

Both  men  began  digging  with  renewed 
vigor,  filling  bag  after  bag  and  packing  them 
into  camp  on  their  horses.  They  had  just 
been  at  work  a  week  when  what  they  had 
feared  would  come  to  pass  really  happened. 


238       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

The  doctor,  having  had  just  a  few  too  many 
drinks,  had  become  talkative,  and  had  told 
fabulous  tales  of  bushels  of  nuggets  to  be 
had  for  the  digging  above  the  falls.  The 
rush  arrived  in  the  middle  of  the  night. 
There  were  more  than  fifty  in  the  advance 
guard,  and  nearly  two  hundred  in  all,  and 
each  was  hungry  for  claims.  Hale  and  Joe 
awoke  with  a  start  to  find  the  valley  teem 
ing  with  prospectors,  and  when  the  first  gray 
streaks  broke  over  the  eastern  hills  the 
stream  was  already  staked  both  sides,  from 
the  falls  to  the  canon  wall.  Hale  sat  guard 
on  the  piles  of  black  gravel,  a  rifle  across  his 
knees,  while  Joe  told  the  excited  miners 
where  the  best  pay  dust  had  been.  He  ad 
vised  them  to  work  up  stream,  jokingly  sug 
gesting  that  the  mother  lode  must,  out  of 
pure  necessity,  be  up  there  somewhere.  So 
it  came  about  that  the  Lucky  Strike  lode  was 
discovered,  which  in  after  years  proved  to 
be  the  best  mine  ever  opened  in  the  valley. 
The  dead  gambler  of  the  mysterious  cabin 
had  it  staked,  and  all  the  assessments 
worked  to  date ;  and  what  was  more,  no  one 
save  Hale  and  Joe  knew  that  the  real  owner 
was  dead.  No  doubt  he  had  already  taken 


FATE  SETTLES  A  SCORE     239 

a  fortune  out  of  it,  but  just  where  it  was 
hidden,  no  one  knew  at  that  time. 

"What  will  you  take  for  that  pile  of 
sacked  silt?"  said  a  big  man,  who  was 
plainly  out  of  place  in  a  flannel  shirt  and 
high  boots. 

Hale  looked  him  over  critically,  and  then 
turned  to  Joe : 

"What  do  you  say,  Joe?" 

"Ten  thousand,  in  cold  hard  cash/'  said 
Joe,  expectantly. 

"Sold!"  said  the  stranger.  "Can  I  take 
possession  at  once?" 

"At  once,"  said  Joe,  with  mock  courtesy. 
"Come,  Hale,  we  move  out." 

Two  happy  and  satisfied  men  rode  into 
Leavenworth  Gulch  that  evening,  and 
straight  to  our  cabin. 

"Ten  thousand  dollars  and  one  hundred 
thirty  ounces  of  dust  at  twenty  dollars  an 
ounce,  that's  not  so  bad  for  a  few  days' 
work.  Now,  if  Cy  just  gets  well,  Til  for 
give  the  doctor  for  letting  our  secret  out," 
laughed  Hale. 

"What  is  next?"  asked  Joe. 

"I'm  going  to  Denver,"  said  Hale. 

"For  what?"  I  asked,  in  surprise. 


240       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

"To  deposit  our  money  for  safe  keeping, 
and  to  hunt  up  the  United  States  marshal," 
replied  Hale,  a  merry  twinkle  in  his  eye. 

"The  United  States  marshal  for  what?" 
I  asked,  more  interested. 

"I  learned  to-day  that  Jake  Henderson  is 
back  again.  He  is  living  in  the  cabin  below 
the  falls,  with  the  Scotchman.  He's  been 
gone  since  Cy  was  shot.  I  suppose  he  thinks 
that  has  all  blown  over  now.  I  had  decided 
to  go  to  work  on  my  pot-holes  next  week, 
but  now  I  dare  not  do  it,  with  him  there. 
He  would  shoot  me  in  a  second." 

Toleman  smiled  from  his  bunk  with  real 
pleasure.  "That  was  my  scheme,  Hale,  to 
turn  the  marshal  loose  on  Jake,  but  now  you 
have  beaten  me  to  it,  so  go  ahead,  and  luck 
to  you.  I'm  convinced  the  old  pot  is  full  of 
gold,  but  remember  you're  hunting  skunk, 
and  need  to  have  your  derringer  handy." 

"I  want  to  see  him  with  my  very  own  eyes 
before  I  start,"  replied  Hale,  "so  I'm  going 
back  to-morrow,  just  to  reconnoiter." 

His  sudden  meeting  with  Jake  on  the 
morrow,  however,  was  somewhat  of  a  sur 
prise  to  both  men. 


CHAPTER  XX 
A  CHANCE  MEETING  IN  THE  NIGHT 

JOE  WATSON  had  decided  to  go  back  to 
the  placer  again  to  see  what  he  could  do 
for  himself  on  his  own  hook,  and  as  Hale 
had  not  heard  from  him,  he  rode  up  to  talk 
matters  out  with  him  in  regard  to  Jake.  The 
stream  was  still  lined  with  toiling  miners, 
some  jubilant  with  success,  others  tired  out 
and  discouraged.  The  boom  promised  to  be 
short  lived,  and  already  some  of  the  lazy 
ones  that  could  not  stand  the  strenuous  back- 
breaking  labor  over  the  pans  were  preparing 
to  leave. 

Hale  rode  leisurely  among  them,  chatting 
with  this  one  and  that  one,  when  suddenly 
he  turned  to  look  into  the  muzzle  of  a  pistol. 
He  was  promptly  ordered  to  dismount,  and 
was  too  surprised  to  disobey.  Jake  Hender 
son  had  gotten  the  drop.  Hale  was  certain 
his  time  had  come,  when  suddenly,  from  be 
hind,  a  miner  cried  out,  "Don't,  don't  you 
shoot  Jake  in  the  back !"  Jake's  eye  shifted 
241 


242       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

the  fleeting  part  of  a  second,  but  that  was  all 
that  was  necessary.  The  little  derringer 
flashed,  and  the  two  men  stood  facing  each 
other,  guns  ready. 

"I  call  that  a  draw,"  said  Joe  Watson, 
from  behind.  "Both  of  you  hand  me  your 
guns.  Now,  young  man,  come  with  me. 
Jake,  you  better  get.  There  are  a  dozen  men 
after  you,  any  one  of  whom  will  shoot  on 
sight.  There's  a  plenty  that  need  that  re 
ward.  I'll  give  you  an  hour  to  get,  and  then 
I'll  let  it  out  who  you  are;  and  when  I  do, 
you're  same  as  a  dead  Indian,  for  that's  a 
worthwhile  reward  they're  offering  for  your 
scalp." 

With  an  oath  and  a  muttered  threat,  Jake 
retreated  over  the  ridge,  shaking  his  fist  at 
the  two  as  he  disappeared.  Hale  laughed 
a  dry  little  laugh  before  he  spoke. 

"You  saved  my  life,  Joe,"  he  said  at  length. 
"Now  I  want  you  to  go  partners  with  me  on 
a  new  claim.  That's  what  I  came  up  for. 
I  know  it's  rich,  richer  than  any  yet  panned, 
but  it's  hard  to  get  at.  Will  you  go?" 

"Go  anywhere  with  you,  lad,"  said  Joe. 
"Now  when  do  we  begin  operations  ?" 

"As  soon  as  I  can  go  to  Denver  and  back," 


A  CHANCE  MEETING         243 

replied  Hale.  "Meanwhile  I  want  you  to 
keep  Jake's  whereabouts  in  mind.  We 
can't  go  to  work  till  we  are  sure  he  is  safe 
in  hands  of  the  law.  I'm  going  to  see  the 
marshal/' 

"Leave  him  to  me,  boy,"  said  Joe.  "I'll 
know  where  he  is  when  you  want  him,  if  you 
hurry.  I  have  a  notion  he  won't  be  long  in 
these  parts  anyway,  but  best  to  make  cer 
tain." 

Hale  rode  in  on  us  that  evening  and  an 
nounced  that  he  had  located  Jake,  but  did 
not  tell  us  the  little  incident  in  which  Joe 
had  come  to  the  rescue. 

"How  are  you,  Cy?"  Hale  asked,  ear 
nestly.  "Are  you  soon  going  to  be  strong 
enough  to  watch  operations  at  the  pots?  It 
will  be  some  sight,  I'll  wager.  We  are  going 
to  make  a  big  stake  there,  I'm  positive — 
enough  to  put  us  all  in  clover,  then  I'm  going 
home.  Do  you  hear  me  ? — home !" 

"You're  wise,  pal,"  said  Toleman,  cheerily, 
"and  if  I  am  able  to  go,  I  am  going  with 
you." 

The  next  morning  Hale  rode  down  the 
gulch  for  Denver.  Once  there,  however,  he 
met  an  obstacle  that  he  had  not  counted  on. 


244        OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

The  marshal  was  not  even  interested  in  his 
case.  In  fact,  he  laughed  at  Hale,  and  in 
formed  him  that  he  already  had  a  man  in 
prison  for  the  robbery  at  the  Fort  a  year 
ago ;  that  Hale  must  be  mistaken.  "My  man 
was  convicted  of  the  crime  on  circumstantial 
evidence,  I'll  admit/'  added  the  marshal, 
"but  it  was  very  strong  evidence.  Describe 
this  man  Jake  to  me,  and  let  me  see  about 
this  a  bit." 

Hale  did  so,  minutely,  and  at  once  the 
marshal  was  interested. 

"You  have  described  the  man  I  have 
in  prison,  exactly,"  he  said.  Then,  turning 
abruptly,  he  added: 

"Why  are  you  so  anxious  to  have  this 
Jake  Henderson  apprehended  now  after  a 
year  has  lapsed.  You  realize,  of  course,  that 
these  hills  are  filled  just  now  with  all  sorts 
of  bad  men  from  the  cities.  If  I  should  at 
tempt  to  arrest  them  all,  I  would  need  a  regi 
ment  of  soldiers  behind  me." 

"But  supposing  you  could  regain  a  large 
part  of  that  stolen  money  ?"  suggested  Hale. 
"Isn't  there  a  reward  waiting?" 

"That  money  would  prove  the  case  beyond 
a  doubt.  What's  more,  the  coin  was  all 


A  CHANCE  MEETING         245 

secretly  marked,  but  we  have  never  gotten 
a  trace  of  a  bit  of  it.  But,  answer  me,  sir, 
why  do  you  so  wish  his  arrest,  especially  just 
now?"  " 

"He  has  sworn  to  shoot  me  on  sight,"  said 
Hale,  slowly,  "because  I  was  the  man  that 
bound  him  and  left  him  in  Widow  Gulch  for 
you.  He  knows  that  I  alone  know  the  facts 
of  his  shooting  Keats.  He  has  not  dared 
to  shoot  me,  as  long  as  Cy  was  about ;  besides, 
just  the  right  opportunity  has  not  presented 
itself ;  but  he  came  near  doing  so  yesterday. 
I  came  West,  sir,  to  hunt  a  fortune,  not  to 
kill  men,  and  I  do  not  wish  to  be  compelled 
to  take  a  human  life,  even  in  order  to  save 
my  own.  However,  the  next  time  we  meet, 
one  of  us  will  lose.  I'd  much  rather  have 
the  law  take  its  course,  sir." 

"It  would  take  an  armed  posse  to  capture 
him  if  he  knew  I  was  after  him,"  drawled 
the  marshal.  "I  would  like  to  talk  to  your 
brother  and  this  Toleman  about  it  too.  I'll 
go  to  the  cabin  with  you,  and  we'll  decide 
what  is  best  to  do." 

"I  do  not  think  it  wise  for  us  to  be  seen 
together  on  the  road,"  suggested  Hale.  "I'll 
take  the  south  trail,  cross  over  the  ridge  to 


246       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

the  placer,  and  come  into  the  cabin  from  the 
West.  You  go  directly  to  my  uncle's  cabin 
in  the  gulch.  Are  you  agreed?" 

The  marshal  agreed  to  this  plan,  and  the 
two  separated,  Hale  taking  the  south  trail 
and  riding  hard  in  an  effort  to  reach  the 
gambler's  cabin  before  dark.  In  this  he  was 
successful.  He  did  not  put  his  horse  in  the 
stable,  however,  but  took  him  well  back  up 
stream  into  a  bit  of  meadow,  and  hobbled 
him.  It  was  indeed  fortunate  that  he  was 
so  cautious,  for  upon  his  return  downstream 
he  heard  a  faint  neigh,  apparently  at  the 
cabin.  Dropping  into  the  thick  brush,  he 
waited.  By  and  by  a  horse  and  mule  were 
turned  loose  to  feed,  and  two  men,  each 
carrying  a  heavy  sack,  entered  the  cabin  and 
carefully  fastened  the  door  from  the  inside. 

Hale  lay  still  a  long  while,  and  then 
quietly  began  to  work  his  way  toward  the 
cabin.  An  empty  ore  sack  had  been  nailed 
across  the  small  window,  so  that  he  could 
not  see  in,  but  by  carefully  working  his  way 
around  the  cabin  he  found  a  place  where  the 
mud  chinking  had  rattled  out.  He  was 
making  his  way  to  it,  when  suddenly  he 
tripped  over  a  protruding  root  and  fell  head- 


A  CHANCE  MEETING         247 

long.  Instantly  he  was  up  and  alert  to  see 
if  he  had  been  discovered.  Evidently  the 
rush  of  water  in  the  stream  had  drowned  the 
noise  of  his  fall.  With  trembling  hands  and 
shaking  knees  he  worked  his  way  to  the 
crack  and  peeped  in. 

The  two  men  sat  up  to  the  table,  upon 
which  stood  four  buckskin  bags,  two  of 
which  bulged  noticeably,  as  if  filled  with 
chunks  of  some  kind.  The  crack  was  so 
narrow  that  he  could  see  but  a  small  strip 
of  either  man,  and  unfortunately  it  lay  just 
about  the  belt.  They  were  talking  earnestly 
together,  and  were  evidently  bargaining 
about  something.  Hale  removed  his  eye 
from  the  crack  and  placed  his  ear  to  the  hole 
instead.  He  listened  intently,  but  could  not 
catch  all  of  the  conversation.  Of  this  much 
he  was  certain,  that  in  the  morning  the  two 
were  going  to  separate,  one  going  into 
Mountain  City  to  buy  equipment  for  a  long 
prospecting  trip  to  Leadville,  while  the  other 
started  on  with  what  horses  and  tools  and 
dust  they  already  had  to  find  a  suitable 
camping  spot.  The  man  who  was  to  go  into 
the  city  was  to  take  the  bags  of  coin  with 
him,  with  which  to  make  his  purchases, 


248        OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

while  the  second  would  take  care  of  the  two 
big  bags  of  gold  dust. 

Suddenly  it  dawned  upon  Hale  that  his 
men  were  no  other  than  Jake  Henderson 
and  the  little  Scotchman  from  the  cabin 
below  the  falls,  and  that  they  were  planning 
their  get  away.  The  Scotchman  was  to  buy 
the  grub,  while  Jake  was  to  await  him  up 
Turkey  Creek,  or,  as  Hale  thought  more 
probable,  to  make  his  get  away  with  all  the 
gold  dust. 

"There  have  been  many  robberies  of  late," 
said  Jake,  "and  we  can't  afford  to  take  any 
chances  by  taking  ours  into  the  city.  Noth 
ing  is  safe  here  any  longer,  not  even  your 
life,  if  you  happen  to  have  a  little  gold,  and 
that  is  why  I  think  we  better  move  on.  If 
you  have  a  little  money,  they  say  you  stole 
it,  and  a  mob  is  onto  your  trail  in  no  time. 
Leadville  is  a  new  camp,  and  we'll  make  a 
second  fortune  there." 

"So  the  population  is  getting  too  thick 
for  you,  is  it?"  said  Hale  under  his  breath, 
but  with  great  personal  satisfaction.  "I'm 
glad  you're  going.  It  saves  me  a  nasty  mess, 
that's  certain.  And  what's  more,  it  leaves 
the  pot-holes  at  last  free/' 


A  CHANCE  MEETING         249 

Hale  withdrew  to  a  safe  place,  built  him 
a  little  fire  and  prepared  to  rest  a  bit  before 
morning.  As  he  sat  by  his  little  fire  he  fell 
to  thinking  just  what  was  his  duty  in  regard 
to  Jake.  His  enemy  was  leaving,  thus  his 
own  life  was  safe  and  his  claim  cleared  so 
he  could  go  to  work  at  once,  if  he  chose. 
When  once  the  pot-holes  had  yielded  their 
fortune,  he  was  expecting  to  return  home. 
Why  not  let  Jake  go  ?  But  he  could  not  get 
the  sight  of  the  bold  killing  in  Widow  Gulch 
out  of  his  head,  or  of  the  unwarranted  shoot 
ing  of  Cy  in  which  he  had  no  doubt  Jake 
had  had  a  part.  To  let  him  go  seemed  like 
stirring  up  a  poison  viper  and  then  going  off 
and  leaving  it  to  endanger  others.  Some 
how  it  didn't  seem  fair.  Had  there  been 
nothing  but  his  own  personal  grievance  to 
consider,  he  would  have  dropped  the  matter ; 
but  there  was  the  safety  of  the  whole  valley 
to  consider.  As  he  sat  meditating,  an  idea 
came  to  him.  The  marshal  had  told  him 
that  the  gold  coin  stolen  near  the  Fort  had 
been  marked.  It  was  with  this  coin  that 
Jake's  pal  was  now  to  buy  provisions,  he 
was  sure.  If  there  were  any  doubt,  the 
marshal  could  examine  the  coins  thus  spent 


250       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

in  Mountain  City,  and  then  follow  up  the 
provision  train  and  ride  in  on  Jake.  The 
evidence  would  then  be  secure  and  he  would 
not  need  to  figure  in  the  arrest  at  all.  This 
plan  suited  him,  and  he  determined  upon  it. 

With  the  first  streaks  of  dawn  the  two 
men  left  the  cabin.  Hale,  from  his  hiding 
place,  made  certain  that  they  were  really 
Jake  and  his  pal,  and  then  returned  to  his 
own  horse,  saddled,  rode  over  the  high  ridge 
around  the  base  of  the  cliff  where  Cy  had 
been  taken  prisoner,  then  down  into  the 
placer  field.  There  he  met  Joe,  and  learned 
from  him  that  Jake  had  left,  bag  and  bag 
gage.  He  expressed  surprise,  but  did  not 
betray  his  secret,  even  to  Joe. 

The  two  men  then  sat  down,  and  Hale 
carefully  told  Joe  of  his  proposed  scheme  at 
the  pot-holes,  and  suggested  that,  so  long 
as  Jake  was  gone,  they  better  get  to  work. 
At  once  the  two  men  rode  to  the  odd  claim, 
and  finding  the  place  absolutely  deserted, 
staked  it  anew  and  prepared  to  go  to  work. 
In  the  late  afternoon  Hale  left  Joe  in  charge, 
to  make  some  tests  and  look  over  the  prop 
erty,  while  he  rode  in  to  meet  the  marshal, 
according  to  his  agreement.  The  marshal 


A  CHANCE  MEETING         251 

was  very  vexed  that  Hale  had  kept  him  wait 
ing  so  long,  but  upon  learning  of  the  new 
development  he  regained  his  humor  and  set 
off  at  once  for  Mountain  City  to  follow  up 
the  new  clue  of  the  marked  coins. 

Cy  was  fast  improving,  and  would  be  able 
to  get  around  a  little  in  another  two  weeks, 
if  he  had  no  set  back.  He  was  very  anxious 
to  go  to  the  pot-holes  and  watch  the  de 
velopments,  but  Hale  forbade.  We  divided 
what  provisions  there  were  left,  and  in  the 
morning  he  set  out  again,  confident  that  the 
new  claim  held  our  fortune,  and  promised 
to  soon  prove  it. 

Joe  greeted  him  with  enthusiasm. 

"I've  an  idea,  lad,"  he  called,  "the  very 
first  one  of  any  value  in  many  moons.  You 
see  that  granite  crag  to  the  left  of  the  falls, 
don't  you?" 

Hale  gazed  in  the  indicated  direction, 
wondering  what  a  granite  crag  above  the 
falls  could  possibly  have  to  do  with  the  gold 
in  the  pot-holes. 

"Yes,"  he  said.  "What  about  it,  Joe? 
There  are  hundreds  of  them  all  up  and  down 
the  valley.  What  you  going  to  do — ship  it 
to  a  museum  ?" 


252       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

Joe  was  too  interested  in  his  scheme  to 
joke,  so  proceeded  to  explain. 

"Eight  cans  of  powder  will  topple  it  over 
and  divert  that  whole  stream  of  water  into 
a  new  channel.  The  pot-holes  will  then  be 
dry,  and  we  could  work  them  with  ease." 

Hale  stared  at  his  partner  in  boylike  ad 
miration,  the  significance  of  such  a  move 
suddenly  dawning  upon  him. 

"Why,  Joe,  you  are  a  regular  wonder!" 
he  cried  delightedly ;  and  then  his  face  fell. 

"But  where  will  we  ever  get  eight  cans 
of  powder?  It  is  worth  fifty  dollars  a  can 
in  Denver,  and  a  hundred  and  fifty  in  the 
Gulch,  if,  in  fact,  there  is  that  much  to  be 
had  at  all." 

"But  I  have  the  powder,"  cried  Joe,  glee 
fully.  "That's  what  suggested  it  all  to  me." 

"You  have  eight  cans  of  powder?"  said 
Hale,  incredulously.  "Where  ever  did  you 
get  them?  These  placer  miners  didn't  have 
it,  I'll  wager." 

"No,"  laughed  Joe,  "but  come  with  me." 

He  led  Hale  back  through  the  brush  over 
that  same  dim  trail  to  the  hidden  stable  Cy 
had  discovered  on  their  second  trip  to  the 
pots'  mouths  before.  Together  they  entered, 


A  CHANCE  MEETING         253 

and  there,  neatly  stacked  against  the  rock 
wall,  stood  eight  cans  of  powder,  a  jug  of 
quicksilver,  a  half  dozen  shovels,  two  rusty 
picks,  and  a  half  dozen  placer  pans,  every 
one  of  which  had  been  stolen  from  our  mill 
the  time  we  were  first  robbed  and  the  at 
tempt  made  to  blow  us  up. 

"Luck!  pure  luck!"  cried  Hale.  "Now 
let's  get  at  that  cliff.  We'll  rig  a  camp  in 
that  old  tumbled-down  cabin.  It  will  do  us 
very  well  for  the  short  time  we'll  be  here." 


CHAPTER  XXI 
JOE  WATSON'S  BLAST 

THEY  spent  most  of  the  day  getting 
things  shaped  up  and  ready  for  the 
blasting. 

"It  will  take  us  several  days  to  get  the 
powder  up  to  where  we  want  to  use  it  and 
to  get  our  holes  properly  drilled,  won't  it?" 
asked  Hale. 

"Yes,  the  drilling  in  that  bald  old  cliff  will 
be  very  hard  work,  but  it  will  prove  very 
much  worth  while.  We  will  make  our  first 
trip  in  the  morning  while  it's  cool." 

"I'll  ride  over  to  the  cabin  in  the  Gulch 
and  bring  a  few  sharp  drills,  a  sledge  or 
two,  and  a  roll  of  fuse.  There  is  a  bundle 
of  it  that  has  been  hanging  over  there  since 
last  fall." 

For  the  next  few  days  the  two  men  were 

very  busy  with  the  drilling  and  with  hauling 

the  powder  up  to  the  base  of  the  great  cliff. 

The  day  for  the  big  blast  finally  came.    Cy 

254 


JOE  WATSON'S  BLAST        255 

insisted  that  he  was  amply  able  to  take  care 
of  himself  for  one  day,  and  so  I  rode  over 
to  see  the  celebration.  Reluctantly  I  left  Cy 
behind,  but  only  after  I  had  put  everything 
that  he  might  need  within  easy  reach.  I 
cooked  him  his  dinner,  expecting  to  be  back 
by  night,  if  all  went  well.  The  mine  fuse 
was  led  back  through  a  grove  of  immense 
spruce  that  stood  in  a  draw  at  one  end  of 
the  cliff.  Hale  and  I,  having  removed  the 
provisions  from  the  cabin  and  the  horses 
from  the  shed,  climbed  up  the  opposite  cliff 
to  watch  the  culmination  of  Joe's  engineer 
ing.  After  several  moments  we  saw  Joe 
appear  up  the  valley,  hatless,  his  sleeves 
flying.  He  waved  to  us,  and  we  both  waited 
eagerly  for  him  to  reach  us. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  low  rumble,  like 
distant  thunder,  and  then  a  sharp  report, 
followed  in  quick  succession  by  others.  The 
great  pinnacle  seemed  to  rock  gently,  much 
as  a  pile  of  blocks  would  do  if  the  bottom 
one  should  be  suddenly  kicked  out.  The 
loose  bowlders  began  to  roll,  and  soon  a  per 
fect  avalanche  of  rock  and  dirt  descended 
into  the  stream.  Our  eyes  were  riveted  on 
the  great  crag  above.  Slowly  it  toppled 


256       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

over,  then  fell  headlong,  directly  into  the 
stream  and  just  above  the  falls. 

We  waved  our  hats  frantically,  to  let  Joe 
know  all  was  well.  He  had  circled  across 
and  was  coming  toward  us.  In  a  few  mo 
ments  he  joined  us  on  the  ledge  and  gazed 
down  with  satisfaction  at  the  destruction 
below.  The  water  rapidly  backed  up  until 
it  was  perhaps  twenty  feet  deep,  and  then 
began  to  flow  over  the  obstruction  at  the  low 
end,  leading  the  water  down  a  side  gulch 
that  emptied  back  into  the  main  stream  fifty 
yards  below  our  cabin. 

When  we  were  sure  it  was  safe  to  descend, 
we  hurried  down,  for  miners  were  coming 
from  up  the  valley,  like  bees  out  of  a  bee 
hive,  to  see  what  had  happened,  many  be 
lieving  it  was  an  earthquake  or  a  terrific 
landslide. 

Joe  took  his  place  at  the  rim  of  the  big 
polished  granite  pot  and  told  the  curious 
prospectors  "that  far  and  no  farther,"  while 
Hale  and  I  waded  into  the  cold  water  up  to 
our  armpits  and  began  to  throw  out  the  rock 
that  had  slid  in  from  the  blast. 

The  crowd  of  spectators  were  skeptical. 
Nevertheless  every  claim  in  the  dry  stream 


JOE  WATSON'S  BLAST        257 

bed  up  to  the  very  edge  of  "discovery"  was 
almost  instantly  staked;  a  little  detail 
that  we  had  entirely  overlooked  in  our  ex 
citement.  There  were  so  many  miners 
about  that  we  deemed  it  necessary  to  guard 
the  claim  all  night.  Accordingly,  I  decided 
to  stay  and  take  my  turn.  It  was  well  I  did, 
for  long  before  morning  there  was  much 
squabbling  on  the  lower  claims,  and  many 
disputes  as  to  just  where  the  "discovery" 
ended. 

At  daylight  Joe  began  to  rig  a  crude  wind 
lass  across  the  upper  pot,  while  Hale  began 
the  construction  of  a  big  cradle  from  a  sec 
tion  of  hollow  log.  The  miners  hung  about 
expectantly,  waiting  to  see  what  the  pots 
would  produce,  but  Joe  refused  to  pan  a 
particle  of  the  dirt  until  all  the  preliminary 
work  was  finished,  all  of  which  he  made  go 
just  as  slowly  as  he  could,  in  order  to  thin 
out  the  envious  crowd. 

Shortly  before  noon  I  felt  I  must  return 
to  Cy,  as  he  would  be  greatly  in  need  of  me. 
Joe  assured  me  that  I  was  not  needed  longer 
at  the  claim,  so  I  rode  off  down  the  valley, 
promising  to  return  the  next  day  to  get  the 
news  and  to  bring  new  provisions. 


258       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

I  reached  our  cabin  about  four,  and  found 
it  occupied  by  a  strange  assembly.  Seeing 
the  six  horses  and  a  mule  that  were  tied  in 
front,  I  knew  something  unusual  had  hap 
pened,  so  hurried  in.  Cy  was  propped  up 
in  the  corner  of  his  bunk.  To  his  right  stood 
the  marshal  with  three  other  miners  who 
were  strangers  to  me.  Seated  just  in  front 
of  them  were  Jake  Henderson  and  the 
strange  little  Scotchman,  whom  I  at  once 
guessed  to  be  Jake's  pal.  They  were  both 
in  hand-cuffs,  and  tied  securely  besides. 

Cy  was  telling  of  his  acquaintance  with 
Jake  from  the  very  beginning.  I  stood 
silent  and  listened.  Jake's  eyes  were  on  the 
floor,  and  he  scarcely  moved  during  the 
entire  story.  I  noted  that  Cy  took  great 
care  to  leave  Hale  in  the  background  just 
as  much  as  possible.  When  he  came  to  that 
part  of  the  narrative  that  had  to  do  with 
Jake's  proposal  to  me  to  buy  his  freedom,  I 
insisted  upon  speaking  for  myself,  but  made 
it  as  brief  as  possible,  not  alluding  in  any 
way  to  there  being  any  connection  whatever 
between  the  two  thousand  dollars  Jake  had 
offered  me  for  freedom  and  the  two  thou 
sand  dollars  that  had  been  stolen  near  the 


JOE  WATSON'S  BLAST        259 

Fort;  in  fact,  I  did  not  even  let  on  that  I 
knew  of  the  robbery  at  all. 

"And  where  did  you  come  across  this 
Henderson,  sir?"  asked  the  sheriff,  turning 
abruptly  to  the  little  Scotchman. 

"I  was  passing  his  cabin  in  Widow  Gulch 
on  a  little  prospecting  trip,"  replied  the 
miner,  "when  I  heard  a  strange  sound. 
Thinking  some  one  had  done  dirt  and  locked 
some  prospector  up,  and  perhaps  robbed 
him,  I  battered  down  the  door,  and  found 
this  man.  He  was  so  weak  from  hunger 
that  I  had  to  feed  him.  And  then  he  told 
me  of  how  he  had  been  beaten  and  tied,  be 
cause  he  refused  to  give  up  his  secret  as  to 
where  there  was  a  rich  claim,  and  told  me 
he  would  take  me  in  as  a  pard  if  I'd  do  just 
as  he  said.  I  agreed,  for  I  was  broke,  and 
then  we  moved  to  the  Falls  and  built  a  shack. 

"I  kept  it  while  he  went  to  work  the  secret 
claim.  He  was  gone  nights  a  good  deal, 
but  often  returned  with  a  quantity  of  dust. 
When  we  got  too  much  he  took  some  of  it 
to  Denver,  to  deposit,  he  said.  I  finally 
suspected  he  was  not  getting  it  all  honestly, 
and  asked  him  about  it.  He  flew  into  a  rage, 
and  threatened  to  kill  me,  adding,  'Why 


2<5o       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

need  a  man  steal  it  when  the  hills  are  full  of 
it?'  Another  man  often  came  to  the  cabin, 
on  a  gray  horse,  and  they  would  go  outside 
and  talk  for  hours;  but  finally  he  stopped 
coming,  and  I  never  saw  him  again." 

"Did  you  know  that  Jake  had  quantities 
of  gold  coin  in  his  possession?"  asked  the 
sheriff. 

"That  I  did  not,  sir,"  replied  the  Scotch 
man,  "until  we  decided  to  leave  and  go  to 
the  new  fields.  He  told  me  then  his  vein 
had  about  pinched  out  and  that  he  had  sold 
it  for  cash.  That  night  he  brought  the  bags 
of  coin.  The  next  day  we  started,  and  I 
was  sent  on  into  the  city  to  get  provisions, 
which  I  did.  You  know  the  rest." 

Evidently,  the  marshal  was  entirely  satis 
fied,  for  he  said,  after  a  thoughtful  moment 
or  two,  turning  to  Cy: 

"You  say  you  are  expecting  to  return  to 
the  States  soon,  Mr.  Toleman?" 

"Yes,"  replied  Cy.  "Just  as  soon  as  I 
can  travel  in  safety  and  can  dispose  of  my 
interests  here.  Hale  hopes  to  enter  college 
this  fall,  I  believe,  with  the  little  stake  we 
have  made  here.  It  would  be  a  great  deal 
more  of  a  fortune  if  I  hadn't  gotten  in  the 


JOE  WATSON'S  BLAST         261 

way  of  that  miserable  bullet,  and  could  have 
helped,  instead  of  lying  here/' 

"It's  a  pity  it  didn't  get  you  worse  than 
it  did,"  snarled  Jake.  "I'll  tell  what  I  know 
of  that  shooting  when  the  time  comes.  It 
was  you,  sir,  that  killed  Craig,  as  I  have 
plenty  of  evidence  to  prove,  and  then  burned 
his  body  in  his  shack  to  cover  your  crime." 

"So  that  blackguard  was  your  partner 
too,  was  he  ?"  cried  Toleman.  "I  was  always 
sure  that  you  were  his  assistant.  As  sheriff 
of  the  Leaven  worth  Vigilantes,  I  have 
plenty  of  evidence  of  many  robberies  to  hang 
you,  sir.  I  promise  you,  if  the  marshal  were 
not  taking  you  away,  you  would  come  to 
speedy  justice." 

"And  when  the  proper  time  comes  I'll  tell 
what  I  know  of  the  tragedy  in  Widow 
Gulch,"  I  cried,  hotly.  "I  suppose  you  have 
told  your  partner  all  about  your  affair  with 
Keats?" 

"We'll  be  off,"  said  the  marshal.  Then 
turning  to  Toleman,  he  added:  "I'll  expect 
you  to  stop  off  at  the  Fort,  sir,  and  tell  what 
you  know  of  this  affair  to  the  commandant 
in  whose  hands  the  matter  was  placed." 

"I'll  do  it  willingly,  sir,"  said  Cy,  "and 


262       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

we'll  hope  that  it  won't  be  many  weeks  from 
now,  either.  Let  me  warn  you,  sir:  watch 
your  prisoner  closely.  He  is  as  slick  as  an 
eel,  and  far  more  dangerous.  I've  come  to 
believe  that  his  life  is  well-nigh  charmed,  or 
else  he's  so  mean  the  devil  won't  have  him." 


CHAPTER  XXII 
GOLD  AT  LAST— AND  HOME! 

THE  first  cradleful  of  black  silt  taken 
from  the  big  pot  so  delighted  Joe  and 
Hale  that  they  fairly  went  wild  with  excite 
ment.  At  last  every  golden  dream  was  com 
ing  true!  Each  pot  held  a  fortune,  and 
although  it  had  been  kept  a  secret  for  ages 
by  the  powerful  waterfall,  at  last  it  was 
yielding  it  up  to  the  wits  of  man. 

There  were  so  many  eager  prospectors 
lounging  about  to  see  just  what  the  dirt 
would  yield  that,  upon  Joe's  suggestion,  we 
decided  to  only  semiwash  it,  sack  the 
roughly  refined  dirt  and  carry  it  to  our 
cabin  in  the  Gulch  for  the  final  wash.  In 
this  way  we  were  able  to  keep  the  richness 
of  our  discovery  a  mystery  and  get  the  valu 
able  dirt  to  safety  much  quicker. 

I  rode  out  each  day  and  brought  home  a 

goodly  bag  of  the  rich  earth,  and  put  it  in 

Cy's  care.    He  was  up  and  about  a  bit  each 

day  now,  but  dared  not  attempt  to  ride  to 

263 


264       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

the  pot-hole  claim.  Day  after  day  the  two 
toiled  on,  scarcely  taking  time  to  eat,  often 
stumbling  into  their  bunks  at  night  without 
even  removing  their  wet  and  muddy  cloth 
ing.  They  were  slowly  growing  exhausted 
with  the  labor,  for  there  proved  to  be  nearly 
eight  feet  of  silt  in  the  big  pot,  and  over  five 
in  the  second.  This  aggregated  several  tons 
of  coarse  dirt  in  all  that  had  to  be  washed. 
There  proved  to  be  very  few  bowlders  in 
either  pot,  and  for  this  we  were  glad.  The 
day  they  struck  bottom  and  the  last  pound 
was  hoisted  to  the  surface,  Joe  sat  down  and 
cried  from  nervous  exhaustion.  Hale  looked 
at  him  in  consternation,  and  then  deliberately 
threw  away  his  shovel. 

"There  is  no  use  in  the  world  of  acting 
like  the  stuff  was  going  to  run  away,"  he 
said.  "What  fools  we  are.  I'm  going  to 
rest  a  few  days  now,  and  do  a  bit  of  fishing 
and  hunting,  for  I'm  getting  so  that  I'm 
almost  ashamed  to  look  a  ham  in  the  face. 
A  piece  of  fresh  meat  is  what  we  both  need 
— and  sleep." 

Accordingly,  both  men  put  up  their 
shovels  and  pans,  shouldered  their  rifles 
and  went  off  for  a  hunt,  while  I  sat  guard 


GOLD  AT  LAST  265 

at  the  claim.  It  was  while  I  was  so  engaged, 
that  word  came  of  the  discovery  of  a  great 
bag  of  gold  dust  that  had  been  hidden  by 
the  gambler  under  the  floor  of  his  cabin.  It 
proved  to  be  a  small  fortune,  and  created  no 
little  excitement.  The  result  was  that  every 
abandoned  cabin  in  the  hills  was  promptly 
overhauled  in  search  for  hidden  treasure. 

For  this  reason,  I  was  a  bit  fearful  of 
Cy's  being  left  alone,  for  it  was  well  known 
that  we  had  much  dust  somewhere.  Late 
the  next  evening  Joe  and  Hale  returned  to 
camp,  refreshed,  each  with  a  quarter  of  deer. 
We  cooked  up  a  big  supper,  ate  our  fill,  and 
slept,  for  the  large  majority  of  the  miners 
in  the  valley  were  off  hunting  treasure  as  a 
result  of  the  cabin  excitement. 

After  satisfying  ourselves  that  we  had  all 
that  was  worth  the  panning,  we  packed  up 
what  we  wanted  from  the  claim  and  moved 
home  to  the  big  cabin,  to  do  the  final  wash 
ing.  Hale  had  twenty-nine  small  nuggets, 
which  he  said  were  for  the  gods ;  but  I  hap 
pened  to  know  of  a  promise  that  he  had 
made  to  a  certain  little  lady  to  bring  home  a 
necklace  of  pure  gold  nuggets.  We  tried 
to  get  him  to  tell  us  about  it,  but  he  became 


266       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

confused,  and  so  we  did  not  urge  the  matter 
farther. 

In  twelve  days  more  we  had  the  dust  all 
washed,  and  gathered  about  the  scales  to 
weigh  it  up.  There  were  sixty-nine  pounds 
of  pure  metal,  worth  approximately  twenty- 
five  thousand  dollars.  Then  there  was  the 
money  from  the  sacked  dirt  at  the  placer, 
and  some  other  odds  and  ends  that  we  had 
saved.  We  divided,  as  per  our  agreement, 
with  Joe,  selling  him  our  cabin  and  outfit 
for  a  thousand  dollars,  Joe  agreeing  in  turn 
to  haul  us  into  Denver  and  help  us  get 
started  home. 

"I  want  to  ride  back  up  to  that  cliff  cave 
once  more,  where  I  was  slated  to  die,  before 
we  go  home,"  said  Cy.  "I  have  an  idea  in 
my  head  that  won't  be  gone.  I've  dreamed 
it  these  weeks.  Say,  boys,  what  was  that 
hidden  cave  there  for,  anyway  ?" 

We  went  on  horseback  as  far  as  we  could, 
and  then  by  easy  stages  we  helped  Cy 
climb  to  where  the  old  lean-to  had  stood 
before  we  burned  it.  Cy  directed  us  to  pull 
away  the  burned  debris  from  the  shelves  of 
granite  rock. 

"Examine  them  closely,  boys,"  he  said. 


GOLD  AT  LAST  267 

"I  can't  see  why  that  gambling  stranger  ever 
came  up  here  if  it  wasn't  to  hide  something. 
May  have  been  just  to  hide  himself,  but  that 
don't  seem  probable.  I  believe  there  is  gold, 
stolen  gold,  for  that  one  bag  at  the  cabin 
couldn't  have  been  all." 

On  the  topmost  ledge,  under  a  pile  of  dry 
sticks,  that  resembled  an  old  abandoned 
eagle's  nest,  we  unearthed  three  buckskin 
bags.  Two  held  retorted  gold — perhaps 
twenty-five  pounds  in  all,  while  the  other, 
which  was  the  larger  and  heavier  one,  was 
filled  with  placer  dust.  We  held  them  up 
triumphantly,  for  suddenly,  as  if  by  magic, 
our  fortune  had  more  than  doubled. 

"That  makes  our  pile  over  seventy  thou 
sand  dollars,  don't  it?"  grinned  Cy.  "Jeru 
salem!  but  that's  good  pay  for  a  picnic!" 

We  had  been  so  busy  with  our  own  affairs 
and  the  exciting  adventures  that  had  be 
fallen  us  since  my  uncle's  departure  that  we 
had  paid  little  or  no  attention  to  the  war 
talk  that  was  filtering  out  from  the  States. 
However,  upon  reaching  Denver  we  found 
the  city  in  a  state  of  great  turmoil.  A  large 
company  of  Georgia  miners  had  just  de 
parted  for  the  South,  and  heated  arguments 


268       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

could  be  found  going  on  at  almost  every 
corner.  The  Southerners  were  buying  up 
all  the  guns  and  ammunition  that  were  avail 
able  and  the  Northern  Yankees  were  making 
wild  threats  of  what  the  North  would  do 
when  once  she  got  into  action. 

Toleman  listened  with  great  interest  to 
it  all,  and  apparently  was  doing  much  think 
ing.  Several  times  I  observed  him  and  Hale 
in  serious  talk,  but  it  did  not  occur  to  me 
for  some  time  what  was  in  their  minds,  until 
one  day  I  overheard  Hale  say,  with  deter 
mination  : 

"If  you  go,  I  go  with  you.  Our  scouting 
practice  ought  to  be  an  asset  to  us/' 

We  took  passage  for  Omaha  in  a  stout 
prairie  schooner  drawn  by  four  big  mules. 
The  owner  of  the  wagon  and  his  wife  were 
returning  East  after  a  short  stay  in  the  gold 
camp.  She  was  an  excellent  cook,  and  we 
certainly  did  credit  to  every  meal.  We  ate 
pie  for  the  first  time  since  leaving  home,  and 
the  event  was  the  occasion  for  much  merri 
ment.  We  slept  on  the  ground,  except  when 
we  came  to  small  ranches,  and  then  we  in 
dulged  in  a  haystack  or  a  barn  loft.  Hale 
and  I  kept  the  table  supplied  with  small 


GOLD  AT  LAST  269 

game,  while  Cy  took  complete  charge  of  our 
fortune,  never  leaving  it  day  or  night.  We 
had  it  divided  into  numerous  small  bags,  so 
that  it  was  quite  easy  to  handle,  and  created 
no  special  interest  on  the  part  of  our  friends 
and  drivers.  We  met  several  bands  of 
inquisitive  Indians,  but  finding  us  well 
armed  they  would  always  parley,  perhaps 
trade  a  bit,  and  then  go  away  in  peace.  The 
government  had  very  severely  punished  a 
number  of  raiding  bands,  so  that  travel  on 
the  main  roads  was  comparatively  safe. 

At  last  we  reached  the  Fort,  and  as  Cy 
had  agreed,  we  stopped  over  to  tell  what  we 
knew  of  Jake.  We  found,  however,  that  he 
had  made  a  complete  confession,  and  had 
been  sent  on  East  for  trial,  so  after  a  little 
visit  with  the  commandant  we  pushed  on 
toward  home. 

We  came  to  several  small  camps  of  Sioux 
along  the  Platte,  but  they  paid  very  little 
attention  to  us.  But  just  ten  days  out  from 
the  Fort,  we  came  upon  a  mounted  band  of 
Pawnee  warriors,  who  stopped  us  and  asked 
us  if  we  had  seen  any  Sioux,  and  how  many. 
We  told  them  that  we  had,  and  gave  them 
the  particulars.  The  driver  presented  them 


270       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

with  a  fine  big  ham,  and  soon  they  rode 
away. 

The  next  time  we  were  not  so  fortunate, 
and  probably  it  was  only  Cy's  quick  thinking 
that  saved  our  treasure,  for  he  saw  them 
coming  and  hastily  buried  our  bags  of  gold 
in  the  hay  stack.  They  surrounded  our 
camp  and  demanded  gold.  Only  a  search  of 
our  entire  outfit  satisfied  them  that  there 
was  none  to  be  had.  We  learned  soon  after 
ward,  from  a  party  that  had  been  robbed 
by  the  same  band,  that  the  Indians  had 
learned  that  the  yellow  dust  would  buy  fire 
water  at  the  trading  posts  and  they  were 
always  on  the  lookout  for  it. 

We  reached  Omaha  from  Denver  in 
twenty  days.  There  we  bade  good-by  to  our 
friend  and  his  wife,  paying  them  hand 
somely  for  their  service.  Then  we  took 
stage  for  Iowa  City,  and  from  there  home 
by  train.  We  insisted  that  Cy  stay  with 
us  as  long  as  he  would,  for  he  had  become 
like  a  brother  to  us  boys.  We  talked  almost 
incessantly  for  a  week  with  friends  who 
called  to  welcome  us  back,  and  the  papers 
made  good  stock  of  our  success.  Cy  insisted 
that  he  would  feel  better  if  he  knew  that 


GOLD  AT  LAST  271 

Jake's  wife  was  provided  for  in  some  way, 
for  he  had  learned  that  he  had  left  her  with 
out  a  penny  and  that  she  had  been  very  sick 
all  the  winter.  Accordingly,  he  and  my 
uncle  arranged  it  through  the  local  bank  so 
that  the  little  old  body,  which  had  never 
known  much  but  poverty  and  hardship,  had 
a  monthly  payment,  supposedly  from  Jake, 
who  was  somewhere  in  the  West. 

One  evening,  supper  over,  we  all  sat  in 
the  parlor,  each  one  in  his  accustomed  place, 
just  as  we  had  before  our  expedition,  only 
now  Hale  was  reading  war  news  in  the 
daily  instead  of  studying  his  books. 

"I  suppose/'  said  my  uncle,  addressing 
Hale,  "that  you  will  plan  on  entering  college 
in  the  fall,  to  prepare  for  your  chosen  voca 
tion?" 

Hale  laid  the  paper  down  and  gazed  out 
of  the  window  before  he  spoke,  then  he  fairly 
startled  us  by  his  reply. 

"Not  this  fall,  uncle/'  he  said,  earnestly. 
"I  have  changed  my  mind.  My  country  is 
calling  for  volunteers.  There  is  a  great 
principle  at  stake.  I  must  go." 

My  uncle's  eyes  flashed,  and  I  noted  that 
Cy  was  alert  not  to  miss  a  word. 


272       OVERLAND  FOR  GOLD 

"Then  we  enlist  together,"  he  finally  said, 
"and  we'll  do  it  to-morrow.    It's  my  country 


too/' 


"And  mine,"  said  my  uncle,  "but  I  am  too 
old.  God  bless  you,  boys.  I  know  you  will 
bring  your  country  nothing  but  honor." 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 

Return  to  desk  from  which  borrowed, 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


a  4  1348 


LD  21-100m-9,'47(A5702sl6)476 


32367 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


